The recession has meant all of us have had to cut back. We just can't afford all the luxuries that we used to take for granted.

For some, pet insurance is falling into that category. However, it has emerged that one result of this is that their owners are facing unaffordable vets bills. A new alarming (and possibly alarmist) study from Sainsbury's finance, found that 56% of vets have had to put down animals who could have been treated simply because their owners couldn't afford the cost of their treatment.

Anyone who has ever had a baby knows how spectacularly stressful those first few months are. As they get older you face new types of stress, from the toddler asking 'why?' for the thousandth time, to the teenager declaring you ruined his life by washing his jeans. But those first months of stress are special, because they come with the awesome power of sleep deprivation, confusion and fear.

Now take that stress, and multiply it by two, three or even four. It's hardly surprising that a new survey has found that parents of twins or triplets are more likely to divorce than those having children one at a time.

In fact, almost a third will end up getting divorced.

No-one is going to be able avoid the incredible stress of having two or three mini people who are unable to sleep in bursts any longer than two hours. However, the survey found that the cost of multiple births is a major source of anxiety for parents.

Almost two-thirds of parents with twins or triplets were worse off after their babies were born compared with 40% of other families

But there are a few things you can do to cut the cost of any baby.

Men are careless with cash, while women are quite sensible with their spending, that's the conclusion of new research.

It may not quite go with the chaps' image of their girlfriends blowing £100 on yet another pair of shoes (seriously, it's just a pair of shoes, they stop your feet from hurting when you walk, they won't change your life), but it seems the ladies really are better at keeping their bank accounts in the black.

Men have an average debt of £2,176 on credit cards, while women keep it down to £1,987.

Eek! You've just read that and thought 'is it Mother's Day this weekend?!' haven't you?

The good news is that you're in the right place for loads of ideas on how to treat your mum with the small margin of time you have left, and an even smaller budget.

I've got loads of suggestions on how to pull off some truly thoughtful gestures without having to spend a fortune.

I always say that eating out on occasions like this is overrated, but a nice meal in will definitely get you in your mum's good books. The BBC Food website has loads of good recipe ideas, as well as how to make the perfect breakfast in bed, and if you want to get the kids involved, there are suggestions for cooking with all the family too.

As Mother's Day approaches - it's this Sunday, in case you've forgotten - the Office for National Statistics has helped paint a portrait of the 'typical' modern mum in Britain.

While no mother can be 'average', of course, statistics can shed some light on Britain's mums: how old they might be, whether they are married or single, and how they might enjoy the little spare time they have each week.

Women are now just under 30, on average, when they get married, and aged 27 1/2 when they first give birth. But even though they wait longer before having kids, the number of births has hit the highest level in nearly four decades, thanks to older women and immigrants having more babies.

And there has been a big rise in the number of single mums since 1971 - they now make up a fifth of all mothers.

As we stagger out of recession, you'd be forgiven for thinking that charity begins at home, and that you can't afford to give what you would like to charity. But donating does not always have to impact the amount you have coming in each month.

Virgin Money has this week launched a new charity credit card that donates up to 1% of the money you spend to the charity of your choice - meaning you can give without it costing you a penny.

And there are lots of other easy ways to increase your charitable giving without feeling the pinch yourself.

Parents are being encouraged to sign up to school computing schemes that do not offer value for money, according to a new report from Which? Computing magazine.

It claims that schools are pressurising parents to agree to donate money each month to give children access to laptops in their homes, even if they already have a computer at home and could get the same laptop for less elsewhere.

The report also raises concerns about commercial schemes such as Tesco's Computers for Schools, under which a parent would have to spend £265,000 on groceries to earn enough coupons to get an Apple iMac available to buy online for £660.

Premium rate mobile phone service operators are targeting schoolchildren with ringtones and games that the kids subscribe to without having any idea of the cost, shocking figures show.

A third of 11 to 17-year-olds who subscribe to premium rate services on their mobiles have no idea what they cost, according to new research from phone paid services watchdog PhonepayPlus.

It hopes that its PhoneBrain initiative, which takes place in schools and teaches children how to use mobile phone services safely, will help to prevent kids spending more than they can afford.

Modern day life moves too fast to bother with small kindnesses such as carrying an elderly neighbour's bags or giving up a seat for a pregnant woman on the local bus, according to a shocking new survey from healthcare provider Simplyhealth.

It indicates that two thirds of Britons aged under 35 know only two of their neighbours by name, and more than eight in 10 would not offer to carry someone else's bags if they were struggling.

But having a bit of community spirit can improve your health and increase your wealth - so maybe it's time you started helping others to help yourself.

Many people in debt are only claiming a third of the welfare benefits they are entitled to, according to the Consumer Credit Counselling Service.

On average, a family on benefits missed out on £5,000 last year because they didn't claim everything they were entitled to. A whopping £16 billion of welfare benefits went unclaimed.