Marcia Hammond

Marcia Hammond, of Tempe, Ariz., said concerns about the future have curbed her spending appetite.

"I don't do much impulse shopping anymore," said Hammond, 45, a copy editor."We don't know what's going to happen in this country.It could all go to the tank, so you've got to have a little something saved up."

Economists closely track consumer confidence because consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of U.S. economic activity.

Marcia Hammond of Tempe, Ariz., said concerns about the future have curbed her spending appetite.

"I don't do much impulse shopping anymore," said Hammond, 45, a copy editor."We don't know what's going to happen in this country.It could all go to the tank, so you've got to have a little something saved up."

Economists closely track consumer confidence because consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of U.S. economic activity.

Marcia Hammond of Tempe, Ariz., said concerns about the war, and the future in general, have curbed her appetite for spending.

"I don't do much impulse shopping anymore," said Hammond, 45, a copy editor."We don't know what's going to happen in this country.It could all go to the tank, so you've got to have a little something saved up."

Marcia Hammond of Tempe, Ariz., said concerns about the war, and the future in general, have curbed her appetite for spending.

"I don't do much impulse shopping anymore," said Hammond, 45, a copy editor."We don't know what's going to happen in this country.It could all go to the tank, so you've got to have a little something saved up."

Marcia Hammond of Tempe, Ariz., said concerns about the future have curbed her spending appetite.

"I don't do much impulse shopping anymore," said Hammond, 45, a copy editor."We don't know what's going to happen in this country.It could all go to the tank, so you've got to have a little something saved up."

Economists closely track consumer confidence because consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of U.S. economic activity.