Nearly seven in 10 Britons hide financial difficulties from their bank or building society – even if they experience a sudden money shock that dramatically changes their situation.

Meanwhile, 37% of adults take no action to adjust to their changed circumstances when they come under financial pressure. Perhaps that's why the latest figures from the Bank of England show that banks "wrote off" customer debts of about £40 million a day between April and June?

Millions of Britons tightened their belts during the recession, with spending on everything from holidays to groceries taking a hit.

But while we were prepared to cut certain corners to ease the financial pressure, some of life's little luxuries – including expensive haircuts and premium pet food – proved impossible for many to give up.

One member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee has warned that there remains a serious risk of a return to recession.

Martin Weale, the new boy on the committee, has admitted it remains a serious danger, but just how likely is this return to recession, and why?

Students heading to university next month will need to plan carefully if they don't want to graduate with a huge mountain of debt.

Over three quarters of parents believe that the recession has made it even harder for them to fund their children through university.

More than four in 10 Britons feel worse off now than they did this time last year, according to new research from price comparison website Gocompare.

The findings indicate that the global economic downturn is still taking its toll, despite signs that the UK recession is now over and the overall situation at an economic level is starting to improve.

The recession is over: we're putting in longer longer hours again after cutting back during the downturn, according to new research.

The worst economic slump since the war led to shift from full-time to part-time work and the loss of more than than half a million jobs in the two years leading up to this spring, says the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Those sneaky recessions... they get themselves all dolled up in their fancy government schemes, historically low interest rates and state engineered recovery plans, and they fool us into thinking they are actually a recovery.

But lurking beneath positive-sounding stuff like the fact the economy grew this spring, export orders and domestic sales are up, employment expectations are better and investment plans have improved, are apparently the murkier facts and statistics that show we're heading for deep dire trouble (again).

Despite the worst recession in a generation, almost two thirds of the nation feel happier than five years ago and seven out of 10 are content with their current situation.

So what makes us happy, and where in the UK are the happiest people?

Men have emerged as the new underclass in the wake of the recession. They have been hit hard by job losses, a slower rate of pay increases and rising household spending.

This has led to a massive increase in the numbers of men seeking debt advice in the last three years, according to the UK's largest debt charity, Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS).

The recession is having a long-term impact on UK family life as new research suggests more than one million families are arguing more due to ongoing financial worries.

A study by Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks has revealed that the ongoing financial effects of the recession are disrupting family relationships. It found that as well as over one million families arguing more, almost two million families say that they feel under severe strain on a daily basis due to money worries.

The recession has prompted more than a million people to go it alone and become self-employed, according to new figures from mortgage lender Kensington.

But making a success of self-employment is not always easy, so we've put together some top tips to help those working from home make the most of their newfound freedom.

The end of the recession was supposed to be much more fun than this. The downturn brought doom and gloom to so many of us that we looked forward to the end of the recession as the opportunity to breathe easily again. However, in reality things have never been so gloomy.

Two reports out today reveal just how bad things are, and I'll warn you now, they don't make cheery reading.

Despite the recession, the economy has grown at a rate of 2% a year under the current Labour government, according to new figures from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

However, the economists behind the study are not impressed with the way that Labour has run the economy, branding its approach unsustainable and criticising it for failing to address the question of how to pay for an ageing population.

Read on to find out more about the economy under Labour, and what independent economists think about it.

It looks like the recession has wrought a revolution in our bedtime habits. Adults are now turning in at 10.30pm on weeknights, an hour earlier than two years ago. And almost 60% slip into their pyjamas as soon as they get home from work.

A survey of more than 3,000 men and women found that bedtimes are getting earlier partly because people are enjoying fewer nights out to save money during the downturn (although the recession is technically over now).

Ruth Stevens, marketing manager of Jockey underwear, which carried out the research, said: "The fact that we are in a recession has clearly been a factor.

"People are going out less and going to bed earlier than at any time in the last two years. The average weekday bedtime for the UK in 2010, according to our research, is now 10.30pm a whole hour earlier than two years ago when it was 11.30pm."

Chances are if you're a regular visitor to Walletpop, you're interested in money and personal finance, and may even be quite concerned about it.

Money is one of the things we worry about most in the world and it has only become worse since the effects of the recession have taken their toll on our household finances.

Whatever your worries, from paying the bills and affording your grocery shopping to getting on the property ladder and providing for the future, money makes us anxious and is the cause many sleepless nights.

So what can you do to take the fear out of your finances?