Saving rates in this country jumped five percent.  That sounds great until you realize the national savings rate last year was  basically zero. An entire generation of Americans is finally building a safety net, something Visa couldn't quite provide.

But there's a conundrum with our newfound desire to sock away cash: America's GDP is driven by spending.  Purchasing drives nearly 70 percent of our economic engine.  Contrast that with China's export-driven economy; they create cheap products that Americans  buy.  Perhaps domestic consumers are rethinking splurges after highly visible - and concerning - safety issues like lead-based paint in baby toys or sulphur-smelling dry wall.

Still, spending is what we do.  It's one of the American past times, as popular as football and apple pie.  Consider the number of malls and retailers we have in this country.  Basically, someone must spend money on something for our economy to grow. Without any funds to fuel those sprees, it's no  wonder small business are struggling and Wal-Mart is gobbling up competitors' market share. Indeed, Wal-Mart's third quarter profit topped $3 billion.  For years, the retailer has positioned itself as the place to buy your everyday products.  Need shoes and tomatoes?  Wal-Mart has both - and for less than you could buy them at separate retailers (not to mention the headache and wasted gas of going to multiple storefronts).  It's a strategy that has long appealed to time- and money-strapped families.  It will continue to work as more consumers try to reconcile basic needs and financial distress.

Wal-Mart's strong position has led to some interesting price wars.  Currently, there's a three way book pricing war between Wal-Mart, Target and Amazon.  New books are selling at WalMart.com for $8.98.  That's an incredibly low price that the mega-retailer can absorb - for a time - while it tries to push Target and Amazon into red ink.  And with the holiday season mere weeks away, many experts believe Wal-Mart will slash prices further on a slew of its products in an effort to improve its top line numbers.  Which will, more than likely, cut more deeply into other retailers' bottom lines.