This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.

Note from Trent: Recently, I posted a series of articles on the ethics of frugality. How far can you take things without crossing an ethical line or diving into seriously socially unacceptable waters? Here is one of those posts.

“Jim” writes in:

A married couple I’m friends with invited me over to dinner recently. When I arrived, they were rushing around trying to throw a meal together. The main course turned out to be leftover chicken breasts. Yes, leftover. They had been grilled a day or two before and they had merely tossed on some additional spices and warmed them in the oven. I was kind of disgusted by this. I understand that this was an inexpensive route for them to go for dinner, but I was a dinner guest at their home!

When you have guests over, how far does frugality go before it crosses a line? As always, there are two sides to the story.

Our experience as a manager tells us that Squawkfox is right: If you're not getting called for a job interview, it's likely your cover letter laid an egg on some honcho's desk.

What's wrong with your letter? You might find some clues in a post by Kerry Taylor, the "Fox" at Squawkfox, called "6 things that make your cover letter suck." It's part of a series of posts on the topic, including "Anatomy of a killer cover letter." A companion series addresses resume writing, including the memorable "6 words that make your resume suck."

• Video: Jobless pay ending? Now what?

Kerry blessedly demonstrates that a topic that seems oppressive -- don't we all HATE these chores? -- can be fun. OK, maybe that's a stretch, but her posts are informative and entertaining.

Among Kerry's cover letter tips:

Partner site DealNews has come up with a slew of deals involving gift cards. Here's the scoop:

Clothing, accessories, and travel

• Amazon.com: Receive a free $5 gift card when you subscribe to select magazines at Amazon.com.
• Boscov's: Spend $50 or more online and receive a free $10 gift card.
• Eastbay: Receive 20% off gift card purchases of $10 to $500 via coupon code "IPEB9HC2". Deal ends Dec. 19.

"Brainy Smurf" has called out fellow members of Gen Y for expecting everything to be handed to them. And now he's criticizing seniors for being focused on "me, me, me."

Many seniors' stands on recent issues also indicate they're out of touch with current economic realities, he claims in a post called "3 misguided senior perspectives from a 30-something" at Pants in a Can.

• Bing: The outlook for Generation Y

Basically, he says, seniors have had it pretty good compared with the lives of young working people.

His three observations:

This guest post comes from Andrea at Fools and Sages.

For the record, I’ve all but given up trying to get my mortgage modified after a job loss at the end of March.

My family is a perfect example of the type of family I would have thought would be a shoe-in for a modification -- we were fine when I was working, making our payments without any trouble, darn near perfect credit, just about as regular as a family can be.

• Bing: The real unemployment rate

The modification program was pretty straightforward, but I’ve read too much online, talked to friends, and have my own experiences, and I’m here to tell you that the bottom line is that the banks that are receiving this government money do not want to talk to you. They would rather wait until you go into foreclosure, figuring you will do whatever it takes -- take on more debt, raid your retirement account, borrow from family -- to make your payments if you can, and that means they’re still getting paid.

This post comes from Paul Michael at partner blog Wise Bread.

Should there be a "fat tax" on junk food?

Yes.

Well, that's just my humble opinion, but I really don't see why this has so many people throwing their arms up in the air with shock. We tax liquor and cigarettes, neither of which are essentials in life. Why not tax something that is bad for our health, preventing more people from buying it and generating much-needed tax revenue in the process?

• Bing: Soda tax pros and cons

Taxes on beer, spirits and cigarettes vary from state to state (there's a detailed list here) but one thing's for sure: When you grab a shot of your favorite tipple, you're giving money to Uncle Sam. Like most things in life, liquor should be taken in moderation. It's a treat. And, as such, we can stomach a little extra money being handed over for our shot of bourbon or pint of ale. (Cigarettes, well, they're a whole different animal, and if it weren't for the enormous amount of money they generate they would have been banned years ago. Such is the power of the mighty dollar.)

Similarly, fast food is (or should be) a rare treat, too.

Bargain hunters may find a few items for their holiday shopping list in Kmart’s leaked Black Friday ad.

The 40-page circular hit online deal sites Monday with a huge number of Friday doorbusters and some Saturday-only deals. A few merit a mention:

Baggage fees, booking fees, airfare sales –- and now travel surcharges for holiday periods. These days, you practically need an MBA to buy an airline ticket.

Which day you pick to travel could make a big difference in how much you pay. Because while we are seeing heavily discounted fares for some days near the holidays, flying other days carries a hefty surcharge, $20 each way.

Delta, Northwest, American and United have doubled the surcharge they've imposed for the busiest travel days around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, USA Today reports. The airlines began charging an extra $10 each way at the end of September for some peak travel days, and that charge has now been doubled, to $20 each way.