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Home furniture retailers are bracing for continued tough times by consolidating manufacturing and adopting new sales and lower-cost production strategies.

What we're buying -- and not buying -- says a lot about how consumers are feeling these days. It also says a lot about the American economy, considering that consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of all U.S. economic activity. Every time we go out to lunch, buy a new sweater or pick up a DVD, we're contributing to the retail sector, the biggest sector in the economy.

In the slowdown, even dentists are feeling the pinch. David Wong, who runs a private practice with his wife in Tulsa, Okla., has seen his business slip 10 percent since the beginning of this year. That has him spending more time marketing and less time cleaning or pulling teeth. Dr. Wong has upped his advertising, taking advantage of low newspaper and broadcast rates, and now sends email reminders to customers on top of traditional mailed postcards. He is even on Twitter, aiming to connect with customers as "not just the guy in a white coat with a drill in his hand."

U.S. banks will collect a record $38.5 billion in overdraft fees this year, with nearly all the revenue paid by just 10 percent of customers, according to a research report released Monday.