The price of gasoline is soaring to $4 a gallon. The average price of a gallon of milk has jumped more than $1 since this time last year. Utility costs are up. So are retail, college tuition, telephone services and health care.

As the country appears headed into -- if not already in -- a recession, the Federal Reserve won't be riding to your rescue as it did for Bear Stearns to help pay your bills for basic household goods and other expenses.

So besides the usual steps that frugal folks use to control costs -- making fewer purchases; shopping at big-box, discount and outlet stores; looking for generic and store-brand foods; attending bargain matinees; lowering the thermostat in winter; choosing conventional fresh fruits and vegetables over higher-priced varieties; or commuting by bus -- these tough times call for creative measures.

Here are some other suggestions in our Recession Survival Guide:

On the "outlay" column, never underestimate the power of group buying and bulk purchasing.

• Many cultural, sports and entertainment venues offer group discounts, so put your own posse together and tap into those savings.

• Join Costco or Sam's Club -- if the membership fee is too high, you can share it with one or two like-minded folks -- and shop in bulk for significant savings. For perishables, make an arrangement with friends and neighbors to split the cost and contents of those giant bags of onions, lemons and chicken legs.

• More group power: Stockpile coupons, form a club that meets regularly to trade them back and forth, organize them so you know what you have, and wait for the double-coupon offers or sales.

• Do the same with Entertainment Book coupons. Trading for your favorite restaurants and merchants can save you a bundle.

• Save on child care by forming a baby-sitting co-op. Members take turns watching each other's kids and you never have to pay a sitter.

• Take the co-operative route in other areas, too. The East End Food Co-op in North Point Breeze (7516 Meade St., www.eastendfoodcoop) and the Toy Lending Library in Shadyside (5401 Centre Ave., www.pghtoys.com) are two examples where donated labor means lower prices or reduced membership fees.

• Go shopping in your friends' closets, figuratively speaking, and vice versa. Plan a day when everyone brings the jackets, jeans, sweaters, purses, belts and other stuff they no longer use but that are still relatively current and in good shape. Then, if the shoe fits, you take it home.

• Greet spring by checking out the Free Ride program (www.freeridepgh.org), a nonprofit recycle-a-bike shop that enables people to donate, fix, obtain and maintain bicycles. It's located in North Point Breeze inside Construction Junction, which also offers incredible bargains on salvaged materials for home remodeling, building and furnishing. The address is 214 N. Lexington St.; phone 412-243-5025.

• Use the public library instead of book and video stores or Web sites. If you live in Allegheny County, your 1 percent regional assets tax is supporting the resource anyway. The Oakland headquarters of Carnegie Library has an especially impressive array of films and books-on-tape, all available for free (as long as you return them on time).

• Take advantage of "Thursday Night Lights" at the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. Admission is two for the price of one; coupons must be obtained online at www.cardellolighting.com, Web site of the program's co-sponsor, Cardello Electric Supply and Lighting. Use the offer to check out the exhibit "Dinosaurs in Their Time." The offer is good for every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. through March 2009.

• Then there's "Third Thursdays at WYEP," a series of free happy-hour performances by local bands from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the WYEP Community Broadcast Center on the South Side. Normally the dates are once a month, but the March schedule has one per week. Next up: The Slant, this Thursday.

• Scope out the region's many other free cultural events and celebrations -- Pittsburgh's 250th birthday should bring a bumper crop -- and put them on your calendar so you won't miss them. The list includes concerts and performances at Hartwood Acres and Mellon Park, evening movie screenings at various city parks, and festivals of all sorts, from Three Rivers Arts to the Regatta.

• First Fridays at the Frick in Point Breeze offers first-rate concerts for the suggested donation of $5, and children get in free.

• Join the municipal swimming pools. The City of Pittsburgh pool tags have to be the greatest bargain in town: $60 for a family of four; $15 for youths; $45 for noncity residents. Call 412-323-7928 for overall info, but tags are purchased at the individual pools.

• If you haven't mothballed your car until gas prices drop, check your tire pressure at regular intervals -- and especially when the temperatures change. Proper inflation means more fuel efficiency. So do clean air filters, tuned engines and using the right grade of motor oil.

• One way to save at the tank: Buy gift cards from Giant Eagle for the places you shop most often and use the points toward the Fuel Perks program. But make sure to read the small print on the gift cards and use them promptly.

• Insist that teens take a driver's education course to lower the cost of car insurance. In cases where insurance is breaking the bank, put off letting them get their license for a year.

• Save on parking fees: Park farther from your destination and walk to work or ride a free shuttle.

• Instead of driving to Pittsburgh International Airport, take the Port Authority's Airport Flyer 28X. It's a huge bargain at $2.60 each way, and it runs up to three times an hour, depending on the day.

• Goodwill is still a great place for clothing finds for the whole family. So are the higher-end resale consignment stores for kids and adults. If you already have more stuff than you can use, drop off the excess items and either take a tax credit or collect a bit of commission when they sell.

• Also, keep an eye out for large-scale consignment resale fairs such as the one conducted by Snuggle Bugs & Co., where consignors of children's clothing and equipment typically get to keep 70 percent of their sales. The spring sale is over, but a fall event is in the works for September. You can sign up for notification at www.snugglebugsconsignment.com.

• Instead of buying new ink cartridges for your computer printer, refill the old ones at any of the various refill services around town.

• Last but not least, never leave the house without food for the kids -- peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grapes or raisins, drink boxes, cookies, or chips. Those Happy Meal receipts or food at the Pittsburgh Zoo and local museums can add up fast.

Moving on to the "income" side of the ledger:

• Any able-bodied teens in the household who are old enough to earn money should be doing so, whether through baby-sitting, lawn work, after-school, weekend or full-time summer jobs. Work out an agreement as to how much of their earnings they may spend and how much they should save or contribute to the family coffers.

• That goes double for adult children living at home, who should be paying a fair share for food, utilities, rent or mortgage.