Americans are reducing debts but need to monitor spending better

Here's some news from the silver-lining department: A new poll shows that the recession has made Americans more aware of their spending habits and instilled in us a desire -- if not necessarily the funds -- to pay down our debts.

According to a poll of 3,201 Americans recently conducted by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling , slightly more than half of all respondents said the recession has inspired them to take steps to pay down their debt.

"Consumers have apparently become uncomfortable carrying debt, realizing how detrimental it can be to their overall financial well-being, and have gotten serious about doing what it takes to pay it off," Gail Cunningham, vice president of public relations for the NFCC, said in a statement that accompanied the poll.