How to beat the higher cost of living

In January, you paid an average 3.9% more for basics -- the roofover your head, the food in your fridge, the visits to your doctor-- than you did 12 months earlier in Southern California.

A government forecast says that food in general will set you back 3.5% more this year.

People are coping in many ways -- patronizing the public libraryinstead of the bookstore, kicking the brand loyalty habit, arguing(often successfully) with credit card companies, finally takingtheir fathers’ advice to check the tire pressure, mowing their ownlawns.