Consumers may not be buying new cars, but they are spending: They're buying used and secondhand goods, repaying debt, and even paying to fix up their homes.

Sales at major retailers have been disappointing. But secondhand stores are booming. Goodwill Industries, for example, reported that sales in March were up 7 percent from a year earlier at stores that had been open at least a year.

In contrast, discount retailer Target saw its March sales fall 6.3 percent from a year earlier and sales at luxury department store Neiman Marcus were down 30 percent.

Coupon use is rising, too. Shoppers increased use by 10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 from the previous three months, according to the latest data available from Inmar, which tracks coupon usage.

Money that might otherwise go to local restaurants or department stores is also being used to pay down debt. Consumer borrowing fell 2 percent in the first quarter, according to data released last week by the Federal Reserve. Revolving credit fell at a 6.5 percent annual rate.

Finally, people are starting to spend on remodeling, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The NAHB Remodeling Market Index rose to 34.5 from 25.5 in the first quarter of 2009, the latest data available. The index should be above 50 for a healthy remodeling market, says NAHB, but it's a long way above its all-time low of 18.6 in 2008's third quarter. The NAHB's index for repairs and renovations rose 29 percent in first quarter 2009; its major renovation index jumped 69 percent.