Is spending money patriotic?

By nature and upbringing, I'm a cheapskate American. So the March 23 Newsweek cover story -- Stop Saving Now! -- made me squirm. To save the economy, we're told, we have to start buying stuff. All that saving and playing it safe could wreck us.

Is it really the case? Tell us what your focus is these days -- saving or spending. Please post below or email me at Minnesota Public Radio News.

Policy makers have been agonizing for years about the lack of savings by Americans.

In 2007, which seems like a lifetime ago, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was telling Congress, "Policies that promote private as well as public saving would also help us leave a more productive economy to our children and grandchildren."

Americans saved about 7 to 10 percent of their disposable income from 1959 to 1992, then the savings rate slid. In January, personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income rebounded, hitting 5 percent compared with 3.9 percent in December.

For months now, we've been asking people in our Public Insight Network to tell us about their savings and other household finances. We're finding Minnesotans are still having a hard time saving money in this economy -- not because they're spending it but because the money that's coming in is barely covering the bills.

If you live in Minnesota or neighboring states, please drop a line and let us know how the economy is affecting your household finances.