In August, 67 in February, according to surveys by the National Small Business Association.

So the omens for the impact of the current credit crunch are worrying. If these earlier temporary spikes in uncertainty had such a significant effect on economic activity, the impact of the current persistent spike in uncertainty is likely to be far worse. It had already earned that reputation prior to the credit crunch, thanks to its incompetent handling of the Iraq War.

It's hard to say how the credit crunch will affect the food world. But with more people cooking at home, recipes and high-quality ingredients will remain important.

The credit crunch and the current turmoil in equity markets will slow down growth further, but remember that this is compared with very high levels of growth up to this point. There is an upside to this: earlier this year, the Russian economy was overheating so some slowdown is a good thing.

The credit crunch was predictable. Indeed it was predicted. Hence, as banks reduce their leverage (borrowing heavily in order to make greater but riskier returns), I expect the credit crunch to worsen in the weeks and months to come. The impact of the credit crunch isn't limited to a few specific sectors of the economy. Any firm, in any industry, that needs to borrow money to continue growing is hurt by the credit crunch.

The credit crunch is going to hit every industry and everyone. It depends on your cash flow whether you will be affected negatively or positively. You can pretend everything's hunky dory all you want, but if you're saying the credit crunch isn't real, you're just plain wrong.. As a result of the credit crunch, the UK has seen a change in the mortgage market. Mortgages have become more expensive.

Banks have tightened their lending criteria and business owners will need to look elsewhere for financing. If you believe The Guardian , the credit crunch has killed ethical consumerism. First, most British commentators blame the credit crunch on the American sub-prime mortgage market.

Lenders failed to check the abilities of borrowers to repay if the markets turned. For a broader historical comparison to the credit crunch we can also go back 70 years to the Great Depression. This was the last time that volatility was persistently high.

September 2008 will be remembered as the month that the credit crunch started to bite. The world's financial systems have been exposed as being built on house of cards.

Unfortunately the credit crunch looks like it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. But there are many ways in which you can battle the effects, and most are easier than you would think.The first important thing you can do is stay positive. Other things below:

Your food for example; do you really need to consume three lattes every day?

The same sandwich you buy at lunchtime will cost less if you prepare it yourself.

Walk rather than drive to the shop.

You could also look into your outgoings.

Switching your energy provider

Or if you think about how you use things around the house, does your heating need to be on all day?

Could you be paying less if you transfer your credit card balance? Or should you think about making some serious savings with an ISA.

Beat the credit crunch also earning some extra money from home. Something you enjoy to do.

As you can see, individually most of the items mentioned may not amount to much, but taking control over those small things can really make a big difference to your finances over the long term.