"This proportion is certainly up from recent years, but it is something that most households can cope with," said Carl Steidtmann, chief economist at Deloitte Research.

"Consumers just have a lot of cash," said Carl Steidtmann, the chief economist at Deloitte Research.

Deloitte Research.

The war in Iraq seems to be having an effect on consumer spending, according to Deloitte Research, which publishes a monthly consumer spending index.

"It is a mixed bag," said Carl Steidtmann, chief economist at Deloitte Research.

What we are watching now is do they have the will," said Carl Steidtmann, chief economist at Deloitte Research, who remains pessimistic.

"You lose some of that impulse- buying that would have taken place," said Carl Steidtmann, the chief economist at Deloitte Research.

He is now a global director for Deloitte Research and executive director of Deloitte's Public Leadership Institute.

Deloitte Research, 2006.

Deloitte Research, 2009.