NEW YORK STATE -- In an economy heading south, what are the experts saying you should do to stay on track?

"What we should have had people do was look at increasing their emergency savings, and that's defined as having three to six months of savings to cover emergencies," said Gary Thurber, a credit counselor with Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Central New York.

In an era of easy credit, millions of Americans have been swallowed by consumer debt.

The average family has around $9,000 of credit card debt alone, while average savings have decreased by half a percent annually.

But the old buy now, pay later mentality may be changing.

We spoke with three people and introduced them each to Thurber, and had him break down their savings habits.

The results were a bit surprising.

"I'm preparing for my future, putting money aside, said Peter Farrar, a young father of two and a sales representative.

"I got a steady job now, $300 biweekly trying to put it in the account, trying to save up for my house," he added.

Thurber's analysis?

"In talking with him off-camera, he's still using most of the money he put into savings. He's got a young family, so some advice is next time he gets a pay increase, put it aside."

Next was Victor Silva, a middle-aged small business owner.

"We have put enough away for a rainy day, being self-employed, in the event that we can no longer make a living, we have enough for a good five months."

Thurber said, Silva was doing well in terms of having emergency savings, but may also need to set some more aside for special purchases like a car.

Finally, we spoke with Diane Lisek, a grandmother with mounting medical bills

"I've cut back on some of my spending, and I'm trying to look at ways to save money. I'm looking for all opportunities to try and save on other bills, and we recently got rid of credit card bills and use mostly cash. If we can't afford to spend it, we quit."

Thurber says: "Some of it is a little difficult because of her medical expenses, but she's on the right track. They paid down a lot of credit card debt and consolidated expenses, so that's good."

Thurber adds if you're feeling overwhelmed or unsure seek credit counseling and learn your options before it's too late.

According to the Federal Reserve, American consumers owe around $14 trillion, though that did decline last quarter for the first time ever.