A recent column by James Surowiecki in The New Yorker convinced us that "the new frugality" won't last once good times return (and is probably just a figment of our imaginations anyway). Let's finally put that discussion to rest. (We will. See below.)

But there is a trend the Great Recession has inadvertently gifted with real staying power: It's more common that American women are the co- or often leading source of income for their families, i.e., they're making more than their husbands.

• Bing: Top-earning U.S. women

"The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything" says:

Today, four in five families with children still at home are not the traditional male breadwinner, female homemaker. And women are increasingly becoming their family’s breadwinner or co-breadwinner. The deep economic downturn is amplifying and accelerating this trend.

And it also looks like many folks are getting used to the idea. A survey done for the Shriver Report shows that "65.3% of women and 61.2% of men strongly agreed with the idea that they are comfortable with women earning more than men in a household," Allison Linn reported in a story at MSNBC.

Halloween isn’t even here yet, but one of the first big Black Friday sales ads has already been leaked: the circular for OfficeMax.

The best deals listed for one of the biggest shopping days of the year, the day after Thanksgiving, include an Acer Aspire netbook with Intel Atom processor, 10-inch screen and Windows XP for $149, half off its regular price of $300.

• Find on Bing: More on Black Friday sales

The same ad shows an Olympus X905 10 MP digital camera for $49. That camera is now on sale at OfficeMax for $99, marked down from $149.

This guest post comes from Kris at Cheap Healthy Good.

Some will balk at their flavor and size. Many will have texture issues. And still others just won't enjoy the gas.

But know this: There are few cheaper, healthier, and more versatile foods than the humble bean. Members of the legume family, beans can be found everywhere from gourmet restaurants to campfire cauldrons. They've been vital to the survival of certain populations, and instrumental to the development of particular cuisines.

Also, they taste good.

• Bing: Enjoy beans without the gas

Still, there are folks out there unfamiliar with chickpeas and pintos, kidney and black beans. And for them, CHG proudly presents the following: a breakdown of why beans are wonderful, plus 42 tried-and-true recipes in which to use them.

If you missed the last KFC freebie, the Colonel (or his deputy) has a deal for you. Today, Monday, Oct. 26, more than 5,000 KFC restaurants nationwide will give each customer one free piece of grilled chicken.

Company president Roger Eaton promises you’ll really get your free chicken this time.

Unlike the giveaway promoted by Oprah in May, when customers were turned away after stores ran out of chicken, the company promises it is ready for the onslaught, or what it hopes will be an onslaught of customers, The Associated Press reported. An earlier giveaway in April went well.      

You know this airplane scenario: Passengers compare notes on how much they spent for seats that you'd think would cost the same. It ticks you off when you find out you've paid the most, doesn't it?

Transfer that discussion to the Student Union Building, except now everyone is comparing tuition. That's right. Some universities -- including those in the University of California system -- are thinking about charging higher tuition to students who major in more lucrative fields -- specifically engineering and business.

• MSN Money's Tuition Savings Calculator

Many schools are already doing it, probably more than you think. Engineering and business are often targeted, but some students in nursing, architecture and music (music??) also pay more. Meanwhile, college costs for all students, including those in California, continue to climb overall as states cut spending and endowments shrink.

"Miss M" at M is for Money, who is an engineer in real life, thinks charging some undergraduate students more than others is a very bad idea.

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

Note from Trent: This week I’m posting 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? I’m recounting some of my own stories and some stories from readers along the way.

"Jane" (we must protect the innocent here, right?) writes in:

My husband has always used this expensive Aveda shampoo for his hair. He says it needs to look good for work. I've always used Suave or Pert and it's worked fine. Lately, I noticed that his shampoo looks almost identical to mine, so when his bottle was empty, I washed it out and filled it with my shampoo. I thought the only way he might notice is because of the difference in smell, but he hasn't noticed it at all. In fact, I've refilled it twice with my cheap stuff. But now I feel kind of guilty about it. Should I tell him? Was this the right thing to do?

There are always two sides to every story. So let's look at them.

Is there no end to the new fees, new rates and other credit card company shenanigans before new federal rules kick in and put a stop to some of their antics? Apparently not.

Get this:

• Citibank on Nov. 30 is raising the variable interest rate on some cards to 29.99% APR, Huffington Post blogger Eva Norlyk Smith said. "The card has a variable APR, so the interest rate, now and forever more, will be calculated by adding 26.74% to the U.S. prime rate," she said. If you pay on time, Citi will reduce the interest charged on your balance by 10%. (That's 10%, not 10 percentage points.) Whoop-de-doo.

Here’s good news for online shoppers this holiday season: More retailers are expected to offer free shipping to capture your business.

Merchants are offering free shipping because they know it catches shoppers' attention, The Wall Street Journal reported, and in a year when stores are competing for shoppers, that’s important.

"Free is very exciting," Dan Ariely, a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University, told The Journal. "Free shipping is not just another discount."