<p>I wouldn't notify the prestigious schools you mentioned if money is any sort of issue for you. Those schools certainly don't throw money at National Merit Finalists; I don't think they even care if you select them as one of your top two schools. They don't have to worry about yield and thus don't track student interest. </p>
<p>Here's a list for schools that give full rides (or nearly full) to NMFs who list them as their top choice: <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/l_j/secondhome/National_Merit.html%5B/url%5D">http://homepage.mac.com/l_j/secondhome/National_Merit.html</a></p>