>a functioning economy needs people to spend Agreed, as long as people don't spend money they don't have :-) You could be saving too much (example: China with

>a functioning economy needs people to spend Agreed, as long as people don't spend money they don't have :-) You could be saving too much (example: China with 30-50% income saved) or not saving enough (example: the US, with saving levels around 5%, was actually negative before the Great Recession) Neither option is particularly good for the economy, but if I had to choose, I'd rather over-save than over-spend.