Chances are, unless your budding intellectual is heading off this fall to become a graphic designer or a mechanical engineer, you don't need to take out a second mortgage just to get them a new computer.

The Dollar Stretcher provides plenty of reasons why every student should have a computer at their disposal when they enter the hallowed halls of Academe, despite the already high price tag that comes with college. Today there are more choices than ever before when it comes to finding a computer that fits your student's needs.

And as The Dollar Stretcher also points out, forgoing a Mac and picking up discounted student software at the college bookstore will save you lots right upfront.

The article points out a cool new model of laptops called subnotebooks that are small, low-powered, low-cost laptops which are suitable for handling typical student activities such as paper writing and web surfing. If you are looking for a more traditional notebook this fall there are still plenty of deals to be had on laptops and desktops which pack a little more punch. Purchasing a refurbished laptop or PC is a great way to save and still get a decently spec'ed out machine.

Here are a few deals out there right now on good back to school machines.

Now that Apple has launched the App store for iPhones it is easier than ever to get a hold of your personal finances. Numerous companies have stepped in to fill the app store with personal finace applications ranging from free tip tools to $15 expense trackers. David at MoneyNing.com put in the effort to create a listing of many though not varied personal finance apps for the iPhone.

While there are enough tip calculators to let you eat out every night and still not have to use the same program to go dutch, split the tip and make sure you hit 20% there are quite a few worthwhile apps out there.

Applications which MoneyNing recommends include:

• Bloomberg - Free app which keeps you up to date on stocks.
• Budget - A nice budgeting tool with graphs.
• Expense2Go - Free expense tracking app which makes use of the iPhone camera.
• Mobile Banking - Free banking app for Bank of America customers.
• Pocket Money - A feature rich expense tracking program.
• Save Benjis - Free price comparison tool.

There are many more programs and further analysis of the pros and cons of each app, which is very useful since the App store currently doesn't offer any way to try out applications.

One part of successfully managing your personal finances is the ease with which you can do just that. Spending $5 to enable your iPhone to track your spending may be one of the best investments you make. Especially once you consider how much your new iPhone contract will cost you over the course of your 2 year agreement!

In a worldwide survey cellphone maker Nokia found that only 3% of people have ever recycled a cell phone and nearly half had never heard of such a thing. That's pretty pathetic after the huge efforts by manufacturers, retailers, governments, environmental groups and charities to make sure cellphones don't end up in landfills, where they leak lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic.

If all the 3 billion cell users worldwide recycled one phone (and on average we've gone through five), we would save 240,000 tons of raw material and cut the greenhouse gas equivalent of 4 million cars, Nokia Director of Environmental Affairs Markus Terho said in a statement. Some 85% of Nokia phones can be recycled. Some recycled cell phones go for parts and materials; others go to seniors or people in developing regions that might otherwise be cut off.

The big problem is that people just don't know what to do with their old phones. The survey of 6,500 people in 13 countries showed only 4% just threw them away. About 44% just kept them in a drawer with their other dead electronics. One fourth of us give them to somebody else and 16% try to sell them.

This is one of the better Daily Deals I've ever written about. For a limited time -- probably a very limited time -- eForcity is offering a car charger for the Apple iPod/iPhone -- for 25 cents with free shipping, if you use the code APPCC25C.

The retail price is $29.99 and the charger will probably sell out very fast. If you want one, order it immediately.

What's your American Dream? Seems today is a good day for thinking about the big picture of your place in the economy. Because if your version of living the high life is driving around in a big car, then your life is getting more expensive every day as the average price of gas hits $4 for the first time. USA Today's special on the American Dream getting squeezed finds people dealing with the painful effects of a bad economy in new ways every day. How have you fared? Are you better off now than five years ago?

Other news nuggets you need to know today:

McDonald's Pulls Tomatoes After 23 Sick
Apple Expected to Unveil New iPhone
IRS Battles with Billionaire Anschutz
Amazon Goes Down for About 2 Hours
Corn Soars to Record High, Set to Go Higher
Goody's Files for Chapter 11

Elsewhere on the Web:

Family Businesses Lead to Family Drama
Souring Economy Puts the Bite on Pet Owners
Beer Makers Turn Increasingly to Viral Ads
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner First Flight is on Schedule
Companies Offering Free Gas to Attract Business
Lenders Slash Prices to Dump Foreclosures
Hard to Find a Job, But not an Internship
Visa, Mastercard See Gold in Prepaid Cards

My rebate check plans were simple: buy a new computer to replace my old one that was dying a slow, painful (for me) death. I spent weeks pouring over ads, reviews and tedious discussions of which feature was important to me. Sure, I'd heard Vista had some problems. Yes, I have a TV and have seen the John Hodgman commercials for Mac. But I didn't think it would be THAT bad. XP was no dreamboat, either.

Wrong. Within hours we saw the blue screen of death. I say we because my husband David gallantly volunteered to spare me the grueling hardship that everyone knows is migrating to a new computer. But soon I was seeing the blue screen of death every morning. Vista seemed to be allergic to both my newish printer and Macromedia Dreamweaver, an expensive web-editing program. Replacing them would cost $600. The whole new computer was $800. Did I want to blow half my rebate check just to accommodate Vista?

First I tried to negotiate with Vista. I compromised. I removed the printer and Dreamweaver. Vista was appeased. I figured I'd run the limping XP computer as my ambassador to the XP world of my printer and Dreamweaver. What seemed like a simple task, took days and much grief. Meanwhile, Vista grew angry and started flashing me the blue screen of death for reasons not clear to me. I removed a few more programs, but had to return it.

The Daily Deal for December 25, 2007

If you're like my sister, you didn't get a new iPod Nano for Christmas -- your family was broke and, after all, you were one of the first to get the 1st or 2nd generation version! But don't feel bad. It's still gorgeous in its video-less-ness. Looking around at your friends with their brand-new video Nanos, you've got to recall your more seasoned love affair with your own music player. Where is that thing, anyway?

Bring it back out into the open with this Apple-brand iPod armband from Deal Squared. At only $9.99 plus $5.00 shipping, it's still $15 less than the armbands for the new Nano at the Apple store. It'll be almost like having a brand new MP3 player. While you're at it, buy a couple of new songs. There you go. The music still sounds just as good and now you can reclaim your old flame

In the mechanical age (the one preceding today's computer age), buying factory-refurbished goods was a gamble. Sure, they may have replaced all the belts, but who knew what other wear points were about to break?

In the computer age, though, wear is not such a factor, and some bargains can be had by taking a very minimal gamble on factory-repaired goods. One such source for deals is Apple.

At Apple's outlet store, you can pick up a previous generation 2-gig iPod Nano for $79, about half of its original price. A 4-gig version is an even better deal at $99, and a 30-gig iPod sells for $179 vs. the usual $249.

The site also offers MacBooks, although the savings here are much slighter; a 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo selling normally for $1,999 can be had for $1,699.

Each comes with a full one-year warranty. My experience with such devices is that if they work for a week, they'll work until I drop them onto a cement floor, so I wouldn't be afraid to take a flyer on these deals, if the price is right.