Joi Freemont, a dentist in suburban Atlanta, doesn't have tlook further than her appointment book ttell that people are worried about money.

Patients whused tget their teeth whitened all the time "now want tthink about it a bit," she said. Braces? "People were getting them for the kids, for themselves, but now they're waiting," she added. And when people get cavities, they have their fillings done one a month, not five or six at a time, she said.

As a result, Freemont and her husband are worried their income could drop and are trying tbe more prudent with their money. They're monitoring spending more closely and continuing twhittle down their credit card balances and her dental school debt, she said.

"We know how tput the brakes on if we have to," said Freemont, 35.

Across America, there are growing signs that consumers are worried about the weakening economy, which could slip intrecession. While some say Americans are not famed for their belt-tightening tactics, there are signs that people are trying timprove their personal balance sheets sthey're ready for tougher times.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, said the economic signals "are flashing yellow," suggesting that consumers need ttake care.

Jobs are getting harder tfind, while the crisis in the mortgage industry has made it more difficult for homeowners tborrow against their houses, closing down what has been a major source of extra cash in recent years. Consumers' budgets have been squeezed by rising food and fuel prices.

Credit card balances surged through the fall months, according tFederal Reserve figures. Now delinquency rates on consumer loans are rising, the American Bankers Association reported recently. Even companies that cater thigher-income families, such as American Express Co., are feeling the pinch.

When the economy stumbles, "you have tbegin living within your means, or you'll be forced tdso," Zandi said.

But Americans are much better spenders than savers, said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst with Bankrate.com, an online financial information service.

"Consumer spending isn't something that gets turned on and off like a light switch," he said. "People will say they need tcut back, but they often lack the willpower tdit."

Still, it appears that people are starting tmake an effort.

Denise Dorman, whruns an advertising and public relations agency in Geneva, Ill., decided not treplace her 12-year-old vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee with 125,000 miles on it, tavoid taking on a car payment.

She and her husband Dave, a commercial artist known for his Star Wars illustrations, alsare "aggressively paying off credit card debt." And Dorman is seeking new opportunities texpand her business, perhaps intgrowth areas such as video-gaming.

"I'll feel a lot more comfortable when our debt is paid down and business has picked up," she said.

The couple experienced the downturn in the housing market firsthand as it took them 18 months tsell their former home in Florida. They've alsbecome increasingly aware of the nation's deepening economic malaise from news reports and the presidential election debates.

"Altogether, it made us rethink what we're doing financially," she said.

Frank Krystyniak, 65, director of public relations at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, said the uncertain financial environment and the effect of the upcoming presidential election has him worried that his savings could take a big hit.

She recently moved his nest egg out of stock and bond funds and inta fixed-rate account that should yield about 4.75 percent a year, he said.

He's alswary of rising gasoline prices, which could curtail his driving tColoradtvisit family and indulge in his hobby of trout fishing.

Some consumer retrenchment might not be a bad idea, said Sheryl Garrett, founder of The Garrett Planning Network of certified financial planners and author of the "Personal Finance Workbook for Dummies."

High debt and low savings indicate that consumer budgets are out of kilter, she said.

"A mild recession would be a good opportunity - or cause or excuse - for people tstop and take a deep breath," Garrett said. "Smany people have overextended themselves.

"If you're living on the edge when times are good, just what are you going tdwhen they get bad?"

Possible effects of a U.S. recession

A slowing economy requires investors tbecome more selective and take a long-term view and look for stocks and other investments that fare better in a sputtering economy:

• Companies involved in agriculture, fertilizer and commodities are safer investments because of increasing demand from fast-growing economies
• Set aside emotion and look toward the long-term
• Nervous investors can move intareas of safety like government-backed bonds.
• Investors should beware of pulling tomuch money out of stocks because they may miss out on the start of a Wall Street rally.

If the U.S. falls intrecession, Europe likely won't gwith it - though the ride may be bumpy:

• Europe's biggest economies like Germany, France and Britain appear poised tpush through due tdiversifying markets and a lesser exposure the credit squeeze caused by the U.S. subprime crisis
• Big exporters like Germany are seeing the value of the goods they send tbooming economies like India and China grow at a faster rate than those the U.S.

Asia would be able tweather any recession in the United States because rising trade and investment within the region make it less dependent on the U.S.

• Voracious demand for oil, iron ore and other commodities tbuild the infrastructures of China and India will help sustain the region
• Japan is likely tbe most affected as it still exports a majority of its goods tthe U.S.
• Lower demand for Chinese exports could even have a silver lining for China by restraining inflation.