The company is pumping £3 million into training staff to offload the computers and is even offering them to staff as prizes for passing sales courses.

Some analysts are predicting the firm’s high growth period is now behind it as the economy slows down.

But bosses have said the laptop initiative was a long-term plan rather than a knee-jerk reaction to tough times.

UK chief executive Andrew Harrison said: “We are about to go through same growth curve in laptops as we did in mobiles and if we are to enter this market we have to have knowledgeable, credible staff and that means a huge investment in our people and training so they can give customers advice about which product is best for their needs.”

Experts from GFK say the laptop market value will grow to £3.8 billion, with 7.6 million expected to be sold this year.

Carphone Warehouse’s scheme involves computers from Acer, Fujitsu, Siemens, Toshiba and EPC, priced from free to £249 with a broadband contract from Orange, T-mobile, 3 and own brands Talk Talk and AOL.

Looking for Mobile Phone Deals?

The IMF’s Global Stability Report points to a “collective failure” of financial institutions in appreciating the risks of borrowing, warning that it may be necessary for the government to intervene by imposing even tougher financial measures.

Indicating that losses are spreading out from the sub-prime mortgage assets to the commercial property sector, consumer credit and company debt, the Report also states that “despite unprecedented intervention by major central banks, financial markets still remain under considerable strain”.

Even so, despite its call for tougher measures, the Report also warns against “a rush to regulate”, which could suppress innovation and worsen the effects of the credit crunch.

Although the Bank of England has now maintained its nominal bank rate at 5.75% for the second consecutive month, it has also, for the first time in over eight years, issued a statement alongside the decision, almost certainly as a means of attempting to quell further market turbulence.

A further report from the BBC in the last week highlights the scale of the current debt concern, with figures suggesting that the country as a whole now owes £140bn in credit cards and personal loans – equating to around £2,000 owed by every adult and child in the country.

Clearly, with interest rates at an eight-year high, and the overall UK debt burden at a record 10-year high, the effects of the credit crunch are already trickling down to ordinary members of the public.

An illustration of this is that recorded debt enquiries to Citizens Advice Bureaux in both England and Wales have reached a record high, with an increase of 20% on the previous year and hoisting the total in 2006/7 to 1.7 million, a doubling of the number of debt problems brought to the Bureaux over the last 10 years.

In a frightening indictment of the present financial climate, Moneyweek’s recently published special report declares: “In short, things are going to get nasty. Your job, your house, your savings, your comfortable life style, as well as your family’s future, and your retirement plans are all seriously under threat.”

Registering a sharp rise in calls from those hoping to establish Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs), or seeking assistance in devising debt management plans or simply from those desperate for financial advice, as part of their portfolio of free services, Debt Counsellors are urging categorically that those experiencing financial worries should seek professional advice as early as possible, as unsecured and secured loans, mortgages and other forms of refinancing are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

This has apparently been borne out by figures suggesting that the number of applications being turned down for credit cards has risen sharply, whilst at the same time many companies are increasing both the fees and the rates they are charging.

The financial website MoneyExpert.com put the number of rejected credit card applications in the six months to the end of last September at 3.27 million, 17% higher than throughout the previous six months.

Other facts and figures also emerging from the torrent of information seemingly unleashed by the arrival of the credit crunch is the finding by the financial comparison website Uswitch that over five million people, or one in 10 adults, spend more money than they actually earn on a monthly basis, and that a further one-fifth of all adults have no money at all to spare at the end of each month. The website also added that half of those who live beyond their means rely entirely on overdrafts and credit cards, concluding that the UK is in the grip of a “spendemic” which is at risk of spiralling out of control.

Drivers should take advantage of all discounts that many providers offer, that can significantly reduce the cost of car insurance. Understanding discounts and how they can affect auto insurance premiums can help smart shoppers make better decisions about their coverage and possibly save themselves some money in the process.

Read below to identify possible discounts that could help you save on auto insurance this year. Other than discounts, there may be some other ways for you to save on your insurance premiums. We will go over several discounts that can help with your current situation.

First, there are discounts for Auto Safety features. Certain states will give you discounts for anti-lock breaks. Make sure you know if it is two or four wheel anti-lock break vehicle. Automatic seatbelts and airbags are frequently discounted on your insurance premiums. In most states, a defensive driver class discount may apply. If the principal driver usually 55 years old or older has completed an approved defensive driving class a discount could apply. Keep in mind that most states will only approve this class if it is voluntary meaning that it was not the result of a violation or infraction.

Some insurers will give you a discount for having multiple vehicles. In some cases, this will only apply if you have two or more drivers. If you have a clean driving record, meaning you do not have any tickets, accidents or suspensions in the last three years (some companies require five years) then you could be eligible for a safe driver’s discount.

Many companies will reward you with staying with the same insurance company for many years without any accidents reported. They will offer you a renewal discount. It makes sense, you have carried insurance with a company for several years, and have not had an accident, your insurance company likes you and wants to reward and keep your business. Some companies honor you with a discount if you had prior limits on your previous policy. They discount you because they understand you are a better risk.

Conversely, if you do decided to change insurers a proof of prior insurance discount may apply. Most insurers request at least 6 months of consecutive insurance from the previous insurer. If you are a full-time student who meets certain grade requirements and are unmarried and usually under 25 years of age (some states the age is 21) you could be eligible for a good student discount. If you own a home, including condominium, town home, or mobile home, which is used as a principal residence, a discount could apply. Military personnel either currently active or retired from any branch of the US military a discount could apply. If your vehicle is equipped with an anti-theft device, a discount could apply.

You could lower the cost of your insurance in other ways.
For people who own older cars, it may not be necessary or cost-effective to protect them with collision and comprehensive coverage. By comparing the book value of your vehicle and the premium that the insurer has offered, you may find that it cost as much for the insurance as it does for the vehicle. If the car is worth less than $2,000, you will probably spend more insuring it than it is worth. The whole idea of driving an older car is to save money, so why not get what is coming to you.

In addition, keep in mind that the type of vehicle you buy could greatly affect your premium. A flashy red sports car is usually going to cost more to insure than a mid sized sedan. This is also true of vehicles that are on the list of most stolen. There are many ways that policyholders can save on their insurance. Knowing more about auto policies and premiums can help consumers take advantage of less obvious discounts while ensuring that they have the appropriate protection for their vehicles. The last way to save is to assume more risk. If you chose higher deductible on your Personal Injury Protection or Comprehensive and collision coverage will lower your premium as well. The deductible is the amount of money you have to pay before your insurance company begins paying the rest.

Understanding how discounts affect your insurance rates is important to save you money.

These findings include:
•    25% of Londoners will spend over £1,000
•    The average shopper in East Anglia will spend only £500
•    10% of people will still be paying off Christmas debt in September
•    3.9% will still paying off Christmas debt a year later
•    4.4 million Brits are still paying for last Christmas
•    50% save for these large Christmas expenses
•    The north-east region has the highest amount of savers
•    The north-east also has the highest amount of debt incurred
•    Total expenditures for Brits’ Christmas are estimated at £53 billion
•    £11.7 billion of this total will be spent on credit cards

Tempering the Christmas itch to spend, spend, spend, Cesarina Holm-Kander, presenter of Channel 4’s Your Money or Your Wife and speaker at this year’s Your Money Matters Show said, “It never ceases to amaze me how Christmas continues to sneak up on people and how ill-prepared financially they are to deal with it.

“To those who are spending without thinking about the bigger picture this Christmas, I would like to offer a little reminder - a credit card binge is not just for Christmas, it’s a legacy that could be with you for most of next year, too.”

For next year, Brits are encouraged to save ahead of time to avoid incurring debt from Christmas purchases. In addition, tracking your purchases will assist you in knowing how much you do spend.

Recently, two mortgage providers who added their names to the list of thirty-one include Standard Life Bank and HSBC. Standard Life Bank announced it will reduce its “Freestyle” standard variable rate by 0.25% to 7.21%. HSBC, who currently prides themselves on having one of the lowest mortgage interest rates, announced it will reduce its variable mortgage rate from 7% to 6.75%.

Although this sounds like an excellent trend for consumers, given the current credit situation, Moneyfacts analyst Lisa Taylor explained that in comparison with the rate cuts lenders provided in August 2005, the last time the Bank of England lowered rates, the current rate cuts aren’t coming as quickly from lenders.

“The last time we saw rates fall back in August 2005, forty-six lenders had made announcements; the rate of change now appears to be relatively slow,” Taylor commented.

However, a slight concern for landlords documented in Rics’ quarterly Lettings Study, is that an over-abundance of available flats is causing a greater demand for single family homes. Rics’ study found that 25.2% more chartered surveyors reported a rise in the demand for houses, while the number who reported a rise in the demand for flats decreased from 36.9% in the last quarter to 16.9%.

Jeremy Leaf, a spokesman for Rics explained that many who would like to buy are struggling to enter the housing market while rents are increasing. “However,” he says, “many landlords will still take solace from uncertainty in the economy and enjoy the gains from rising rents.”

Unfortunately, however, not all owners can jump for joy about the results; the ones who will benefit most from the property investment are professional landlords rather than individual home owners. Specifically, the survey found that Scotland would generate a 5% increase in rental yields in 2008 and the north of England would see a 4% increase.

Speaking of landlords, the Alliance & Leicester study also documented interesting statistics, including:

• Nearly 50% who owned twenty or more properties made enough to supplement their savings
• A full 40% were running such lucrative operations they relied on their portfolios as their main income

Wondering why you chose a career model other than becoming a landlord? I am too. Those landlords who invested in the capital region are garnering the highest rent checks; the survey showed rent prices in this region are up to four times higher than properties in the south-east of England.

Commenting upon the fact that 71% of landlords surveyed expressed optimism about the 2008 year, Jeremy Claridge, head of specialist mortgages at Alliance and Leicester, said that it was a good sign that even during a difficult financial year, the rental market remained healthy enough to support such optimism. He went on to state: “It is clear the buy-to-let property market is still healthy for long standing landlords, especially for those in the south-east of the country.”

Frances Ghiloni, of mform, stated: “[The fees] should be considered at the start rather than come as a nasty surprise when it’s time to move on.”

“Borrowers who regularly remortgage and move from lender to lender need to take account of exit fees as well as application fees and other costs which will have an impact on the true cost of their loan.”

Recently, watchdogs and the Financial Services Authority have taken steps to convince lenders to get rid of these charges, or at least make them clear to customers upon entering into a mortgage.

Advantageously to mortgage holders, the Financial Services Authority ruled that in 2008, people who have incurred a higher exit fee than they expected (according to what was stated upon entering the mortgage) can reclaim the fee.

Some of the larger banks have gone ahead and rid themselves of exit fees. Mform’s list includes Royal Bank of Scotland Group companies, Standard Life Bank, Cheltenham & Gloucester and Lloyds TSB, among others. Ghiloni said this trend is good news and comes as a result of the Financial Services Authority’s prompting.

A tracker mortgage, for those unfamiliar, is a variable mortgage that closely tracks the Bank of England’s rate. Although they are typically a quarter percentage point higher than a fixed rate mortgage, John Charcol explains that they enable the customer to be free from the lender’s whims.

Senior technical manager for John Charcol, Ray Boulger, said he had long been recommending tracker mortgages as a good choice for a variable mortgage and that, “We have seen over the last few years there is always a proportion of lenders who do not move their rate in line with the Bank’s rate.”

Mr. Boulger went on to say that even though a number of lenders had recently reduced the number of mortgage options they provided to customers, he expected the tracker mortgage to continue in its availability. Furthermore, he did not foresee lenders placing restrictions on them as rates fall.

On the same hand, Mr. Boulger did not foresee a mass surge of refinances in favour of the tracker mortgage. He explained his reasoning that, “The reality of people deciding to look at their mortgage product is based on whether the value of a discount mortgage is cheaper than a tracker mortgage or vice versa.”

The Egg also studied spending habits during Christmastime, and found that Britons will spend approximately £594 million, or roughly 39%, beyond their budget; that’s approximately £150 for each shopper.

Alison Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at Egg, said: “Consumers need to try to find ways to drive down the overall cost of Christmas - one way seems to be by avoiding those last minute shopping sprees, when lack of choice and panic buying are rife.”

If you haven’t yet finished up your Christmas shopping, perhaps tuck away Ms. Wright’s advice for next year.