But Will it Make You Happy?

The below quote is kind of tangential to the point of the article, but seems weird:

"Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades, and industry professionals expect that trend to continue. Consumers saved 6.4 percent of their after-tax income in June, according to a new government report. Before the recession, the rate was 1 to 2 percent for many years. In June, consumer spending and personal incomes were essentially flat compared with May, suggesting that the American economy, as dependent as it is on shoppers opening their wallets and purses, isn’t likely to rebound anytime soon."

My first thought is, "how are people saving more if they are spending and earning the same?" A simple answer may be debt. A text-literal answer might be that the paragraph is the equivalent of chart-junk. It compares savings growth over a longer time period than the spending and income time period.