ABC and USA Today are featuring two families who need to change their spending habits, with plans to follow up during the next month on the details.

• USA Today introduction piece.
• ABC introduction piece.

Van rides to the Southgate office are available for Monroe Michigan Works! clients who need to take care of business while the Monroe office is shut down because of a fire in that complex.

Details are at monroenews.com.

The Detroit Free Press has this story today: Patients pile on debt to go under the knife.

A snippet:

Fertility treatments, cosmetic surgery, veterinary care and orthodontia can be approved on credit within minutes, as more medical practices team up with financing companies like GE CareCredit, CapitalOne HealthAdvance and M-Lend.

But experts warn that in a turbulent economic climate, consumers should take care before committing — because interest rates and late fees skyrocket if a payment is missed. …

Michelle Wrathell of Saginaw was soured by the terms of GE CareCredit last year, when her two dachshunds, Casey and Cricket, needed critical surgery within a week of each other. It was a matter of “putting her kids to sleep” or going through with the operations, so she financed $9,000 in veterinary bills, to be paid off over two years.

“The vet’s office dialed the CareCredit line for me, and my credit was approved automatically,” she said. “It saved my dogs’ lives, so I shouldn’t complain, but the interest rate was terrible.”

There was a fire this morning at the Monroe Mall shopping complex on Telegraph Rd. near Stewart Rd. This is the shopping complex that includes the Monroe Michigan Works! office, and that location does have smoke damage.

A story posted at monroenews.com (too late for today’s print edition of The Monroe Evening News) reports that Michigan Works! staff will work temporarily at another location, but clients will have to drive to Southgate for some services. Clients who need transportation or have questions should call 240-7950.

General Motors is reviving its “GM employee pricing for all” campaign. I heard a television ad this morning for that promotion, and here are some headlines:

• Detroit News.
• CNN.
• MSNBC.
• BusinessWeek.

This deal could be a very attractive option for those of you who would otherwise consider leasing a new car. Yes, my husband once leased a car; and no, I don’t recommend it. Besides, it’s getting more difficult these days to find deals on vehicle leases.

When GM employee pricing was available in June 2005, I was a frustrated would-be customer. We did need to replace my car. However, it was not possible to add a car payment to our household budget. My husband had such an erratic work history with short-term temporary jobs from mid-2004 to mid-2005 that we were running out of cash for everything except essentials.

As a result, we didn’t jump into the employee pricing offer. I bought my car a year later, when our finances were much more stable and my old car much less reliable.

So if it isn’t a good time for you to be buying a new car regardless of the price, you are better off sitting out this promotion.

The other possibility to watch for during the next few weeks will be a better selection of used cars coming onto the market as trade-ins.

Start asking around - because if a dealer knows you’re looking for a good used car, you might be the first one to be called when something that fits your wish list shows up on the lot. That actually happened to me in 1990.

I’ve heard from a reader in the past, and Anna just reminded me, that Giant Eagle grocery in Toledo has some really good grocery deals.

There is a Giant Eagle store at 6930 W. Central Ave., Toledo, and another one at 9880 Old US-20, Rossford, Ohio.

Now, while those stores are out of the way for Monroe residents to include on a routine grocery stop, it may well be worth adding to your “to do” list when you are already in Toledo for errands or work. After all, I’ve made shopping trips at the Hostess / Wonder Bread outlet stores when I happen to already be in Toledo or South Bend, Ind.

Now, why might you want to schedule a stop at Giant Eagle?

They have a very generous coupon redemption policy. Take your coupon box and cherry-pick your savings, finishing up your list if necessary at a local grocery store.

The weekly grocery ad currently posted at the store’s web site has Super Double Coupons up to 99 cents, coupons $1 or more are worth $2, and coupons $2 or more are worth face value. Giant Eagle also has a fuel rewards program.

And just for fun, there is a Giant Eagle cookie card for kids.

Angel Food Ministries has posted its September menu. There are some new dinner options this month, so you’ll want to look at the list before you place your orders.

Pickups for the August orders will be Saturday at Monroe Church of the Nazarene and Bedford Church of the Nazarene.

Pickup day is also when orders begin for the next month. I recommend placing your next orders on pickup day so you don’t have to make a second trip (or forget about the deadlines and neglect to place an order, like some of my friends do.)

If you have a student in college, be sure to pay close attention to any medical insurance Explanation of Benefits statements that arrive in the mail.

I got my first one yesterday that demanded proof of my daughter’s college student status.

And I almost missed it.

Reason: both my husband and daughter had dental appointments recently and the EOBs were sent to me in the same envelope.

Husband’s statement looked correct, and his was the first page.

Luckily, I looked to see what was at the second page and realized that my daughter’s bill had not been paid. “See note” the comments said, with information farther down on the page. “In order to determine plan benefits on this claim, the following information is needed in writing. Is patient a full time student? Name and location of student’s school?”

Yes, I am faxing that information to the insurance company immediately.

Here’s the problem: many health insurance companies allow only DEPENDENT children to remain on the parents’ policy. The assumption is that once a child turns 18 or 19, depending on the company rules, the child is no longer dependent on the parents and will be dropped off the benefit plan.

Now, you may be allowed to keep a college student on the family insurance plan for a certain time. But in order to do so, you have to follow the policy rules.

Do not ignore requests for additional information in those situations, or your student may lose insurance benefits that they are still entitled to.

You also need to pay close attention to “full-time student” stipulations on this matter and also for college financial aid awards. If a student drops a class or two after the semester begins, he or she may not have enough credits to be considered a full-time student for that term. Part-time students sometimes do not qualify for the college student benefits, depending on the rules for individual programs and services.

Second Chance Boutique, 50 S. Monroe St., Monroe, is holding a $1 bag sale today (Tuesday Aug. 19) from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you shop around the second-hand stores in Monroe, you know what the inventory is like at this place. So it’s probably no surprise that this sale is really getting attention. There were already five people standing outside the store, with others walking toward it, when I was en route to The Monroe Evening News office at 7:40 a.m. today!

I’m a bit off my posting routine. We were at Michigan International Speedway all day yesterday and I haven’t yet read my entire Sunday paper yet.

Here’s what I’m going to do: summarize the grocery, discount and drugstore ads from Sunday and Monday’s editions of The Monroe Evening News. That’s the stuff that gets the most attention anyway.

Here’s what I’m finding:

• Kroger has milk, chocolate milk and orange juice at $2.77 a gallon. Eggs, Kroger frozen veggies, Hunt’s snack pack pudding, Bounty Basic paper towels and Kroger bread are on the 10 for $10 list. Select Ball Park franks buy one get one free. Save $5 instantly when you buy $20 or more participating Nestle products, look for the shelf tags.
• Aldi has milk at $1.99 a gallon. Millville cereals range from $1.15 to $1.89 a box. Eggs are 99 cents a dozen. Blueberries are $1.29 a pint.
• Walgreens has Maxwell House instant coffee at $4.49 an 8 ounce can. Use the coupons in the flier to get filler paper, plastic spoons, Jiffy muffin mix, Sharpie markers, or 10-packs of pens for 39 cents each. Buy 25 digital prints, get 25 prints free with coupon or code in flier. Excedrini and Advil are on sale, and look for the Sunday coupons. Selected General Mills cereals $1.99 a box.
• Target’s deals include Pepsi 12-packs four for $10 and Electrasol dishwasher detergent specials. Twin, extra long twin and full-size 08 College sheet sets are $8 each.
• Kmart has selected Kelloggs cereal at three for $8. Xtra laundry detergent and Nice’n Fluffy fabric softener are five for $10. All lunch kits are on sale.
• Meijer has buy $10 any combination of Coca-Cola products, get $10 instantly off a pair of men’s, women’s or kids’ athletic shoes. Twin sheets at 180 thread count are $7.88 each. Milk is $2.77 a gallon. The Dinner Under $10 promotion features hamburgers, salad, tater tots and baked beans. Lots of cereals are on sale. Skippy peanut butter is two for $4. Heinz ketchup is three for $5.
• CVS Pharmacy has buy four for $11 get one free on Pepsi 12-packs. Buy $10 of any Milani cosmetics, get $5 Extra Care Bucks back. Gerber baby food, cereal and juice are buy one, get one 50 percent off.
• Hi-Lite Supermarket has Gatorade at 69 cents a bottle. Michigan peaches are 79 cents a pound. Bananas are 35 cents a pound. Post cereal is $1.79 a box. Scott Extra Soft tissue is 79 cents a four-pack. Spartan applesauce cups six for $1.39.
• Danny’s Fine Foods has milk at $2.99 a gallon. Take and Bake breads are two for $5. Red or green seedless grapes are 99 cents a pound. Tender cube steaks are $2.99 a pound.

Now, here is what you do with those milk deals. Buy what you need for this week. Then on Saturday or Sunday, whatever is the day before the sales fliers turn over at your favorite store, go buy next week’s supply of milk at this week’s prices.

And those temporarily lower cereal prices are not to be ignored. If you have space, I would stock up on your favorite brands.