Of the many data drops this week, two were readings on the state of the ever-resilient American consumer. To be honest, it’s a confusing set of data.

Consumer sentiment fell in early August, according to the University of Michigan’s regular index. But retail sales numbers — what consumers are actually buying — were up in July. In line with expectations, and less of an increase than in June, but still up.

When it comes to the 0.5% rise in retail sales in July, “the underlying picture, I believe, is consumers are cautiously spending on things,” said Sharmila Chatterjee. She teaches marketing at MIT’s Sloan School of Business.

That cautious part is key. July had a lot of big sales: Prime Days, Walmart discounts, and other retailers copying those sales.

“And so consumer responding to, you know, good value for money. So they are responding to those promotions,” Chatterjee said.

The spending bumps in June and July show consumers are game to shop, just carefully, said Shikha Jain, lead partner for consumer retail with business consulting firm Simon Kucher.

“And we have to remember that a lot of folks are also using debt so credit cards and other means to finance their lifestyles,” she said.

Jain also pointed to a pullback in restaurant spending in July, as consumers focus on core needs and, again, value for their money.

“Restaurants used to be in, especially fast food … you would be able to get a lot of bang for your buck,” she said. “But that’s changed … A lot of folks are no longer finding quick service restaurants or fast food a viable option.”

Another reason consumers keep spending, despite everything? Retail therapy, said Katie Thomas, lead of the Kearney Consumer Institute.

She pointed to the uptick in spending on clothes and other small luxuries.

“So despite the fact that they're well aware of all the uncertainty and the tariffs and economic struggles, they're really using spending as a control mechanism,” she said.

You may not be able to control what’s happening in politics, or the rest of the world, but you can buy a cute new top.