A snippet:

“What we’re seeing is the death of the conventional middle-class life and an increase in the population of working poor,” said Jim Jacobs, president of Macomb Community College.

Enrollment at the college in this Detroit suburb has climbed 11 percent in three years, and similar recession-inspired jumps have been reported at community colleges across the country. But even after workers sacrifice time and tuition for new skills, many find that their earning prospects have been reduced, at least initially, because they must start over in a new field.

A machinist who is spending $4,500 for a course to learn automated manufacturing said that even if he gets a job, it will probably pay about $16 an hour, a third less than he made before.

It is possible to get by on $12 to $14 an hour jobs. Since there were already thousands of people in southeast Michigan in that pay bracket, you can find a lot of examples on how to do it.

But if you have long been making two or three times that amount, bumping down to what really was the “median household income” for my local readers will be quite a shock to your lifestyle.

Here’s an analysis I did with two wage earners making $14 an hour and the cost of living in Monroe, Mich., at Monroe County Median Household Income: What Can I Spend on What?

Use that toward restocking or replacing basic sewing notions and supplies that are currently on sale such as pins, needles, Velcro tabs and fabric rulers.

July 4 is one of the days where there will not be a newspaper.

Therefore the advertisements are a bit off their schedule, depending on what the individual stores wanted to do. Here is some of what you’ll find in today’s edition:

• The July Saving Sense local coupon booklet featuring Monroe County businesses is in today’s paper or download it here. You’ll find deals on haircuts, the movie theater, bakery treats and restaurants.
• Staples has specials on copy paper, DVD-R media and printers.
• Elder-Beerman has a sale today through Sunday that includes swimwear for the family, summer table ware, women’s sandals and Juniors’ screen tees.
• Busch’s Fresh Food Market (sale starts Monday) will have selected Post cereal at $1.88 a box, Dannon yogurt at two for $1, and 30 percent off many beef and steak cuts.
• Kohl’s has a sale today through Sunday that includes all sandals and flipflops, all swimwear, and selected kids’ shoes.

The Monroe Farmer’s Market, 20 E. Willow St., Monroe, Mich., reports it will be open Saturday July 4 on its usual hours of 6 a.m. to noon. Current product selections include lettuce, spinach, strawberries, beets, squash, cabbage, onions, honey, cut flowers, plants, herbs and garlic.

The spearmint plants I bought a few weeks ago at this market seem to be happy in their back yard pot. I don’t have too many new shoots yet, but the original plants are doing well.

• Go see the professional fireworks shows rather than set off your own. Seriously. Save your money. There is no need to shoot off your own fireworks and annoy the neighbors, in addition to the safety issues that are involved with fireworks in a residential area.
• Think about the park fees. Some of the fireworks shows in southeast Michigan are taking place at parks that charge admission: specifically the show tonight at Sterling State Park in Monroe. Here’s my tip: carpool as many people as you can in the vehicle. You should also ask around in the family as to who already has an annual Michigan State Park pass or qualifies for a discount because Michigan residents age 65 and older and those with Michigan Bridge Card (food stamps) can get annual state park passes at a discount. Yes the Monroe County Library System does have free daily park passes available for those with library cards, but there’s some paperwork you need to fill out at the gate and the lines will be long tonight. Besides, all of the library branches are closed today.
• Dress for the occasion. It’s really cheap to get patriotic T-shirts in the summer! I’ve seen special edition shirts advertised for at low as $3 although you might spend $5 for some styles. That’s cheaper than solid color shirts, which is my usual recommendation for sports fans on a budget. You can wear patriotic Ts all summer, so enjoy them.
• Bring out the flags and bunting. Did you buy outdoor decor a summer or two ago, or to display for Memorial Day weekend? Patriotic decor is so versatile and classic that it’s worth a frugal family’s effort to stock up on such pieces.
• Enjoy this weekend’s picnic food sales. In fact, you may want to stock up on picnic food that can be put in the freezer or on pantry shelf. You may still have potlucks and picnics to attend later in the summer, and it will be nice to have ingredients ready to go.
• Follow up on home improvement sales. Several of the sales fliers for the home improvement and department stores are featuring sales on paint and other DIY homeowner supplies this weekend. If you’ll be working on a project later this month, do as much of your shopping as possible this weekend while the sales are in effect. Those of you with military IDs can get additional discounts at some stores this weekend.

• Home Depot has a sale on Behr paints, a variety of backyard grills, and interior and exterior doors. Paint samples are $3.97. Military discount of 10 percent good July 2-8 for in-store purchases for “valid military ID.”
• Sears has a four-day special that includes 15 percent off all appliances. All tires are on sale. Weatherbeater and Dutch Boy paints are on sale. Men’s Lee jeans are on sale.
• Menards has a roofing and siding sale through July 12.

The Monroe County Opportunity Program has a Weatherization and Energy Assistance Program to low-income families in Monroe County, Mich. The program is funded by state and federal money and is free to eligible families who qualify on a sliding scale of income and number of household members.

“These services reduce energy use and lower utility bills! On average, homes that are weatherized see a 25 percent reduction of costs,” according to a flier that was distributed at the Monroe County Unemployment Resource Expo on Monday.

This runs about $300 in savings a year, according to MCOP.

For information, go to monroecountyop.org or call (734) 241-2775.

However! There are some rule changes for this double couple deal as compared to previous Kmart super double promotions. I will explain the mouse print on Sunday when I see the actual newspaper fliers.

What I want you to do in the meantime is purge the old coupons out of your coupon box or binder (a lot of them expired on June 30), and clip any fresh coupons that you may have sitting around so that you are ready to shop.

Proctor and Gamble also has already announced it will have a coupon packet on Sunday July 5, which is unusual because we normally don’t get Sunday newspaper coupons on a holiday weekend.