NEW YORK — Americans say they feel worse about the economy than they have since the depths of the Great Recession. And it’s a bad time for a bad mood because households are starting to make their holiday budgets.

It might not be all doom and gloom, though. Sometimes what people say about the economy and how they behave are two different things.

Consumer confidence fell in October to the lowest since March 2009, reflecting the big hit the stock market took this summer.

The Conference Board, a private research group, said its index of consumer sentiment came in at 39.8, down about six points from September and seven shy of what economists were expecting.

It’s not even within shouting distance of 90, what it takes to signal that the economy is on solid footing.