Sales of new homes, like this one in Palo Alto, Calif., rose 3.6 percent in July. Paul Sakuma/AP hide caption

A customer using Safeway's personalized deals gets this loaf of bread for 99 cents instead of the original $4.29. Ashley Gross/KPLU hide caption

A barista processes a customer's payment using Square, a device that turns a mobile device into a card swiper. More businesses are using the devices to simplify credit card payments. Others are embracing technology that allows consumers to pay with their cellphones. Jeff Wheeler/MCT/Landov hide caption

Sara Millan (left) thanks Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America CEO Bruce Marks after NACA was able to reduce her family's mortgage during an event in Los Angeles in September 2010. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., shakes hands with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at the close of the committee's hearing on the state of the economy in February 2011. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

Traders prepare for the start of early trading at the New York Stock Exchange. Some say there's been a loss of faith in the stock market's return on investment over the last 15 years. Bebeto Matthews/AP hide caption

Square allows merchants to accept payments automatically from recognized registered customers. Square screen grab hide caption

Members of the Dolan family walk home with bags of food from the Southern Tier Mobile Food Pantry in Oswego, N.Y., in June. Food banks across the nation are reporting giant spikes in demand. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

Emily Macri looks over a college brochure with her mother, Maureen O'Brien, in Kingman, Ariz. Macri is transferring to Northern Arizona University so that she can pay in-state tuition. Courtesy of Emily Macri hide caption