Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a range of services that can be challenging to manage in terms of costs. This article provides best practices for controlling and reducing GCP costs, including understanding GCP pricing, using Google's billing and expense management tools, tracking cost metrics, selecting the appropriate VM type and size, using Spot virtual machines, taking advantage of autoscaling, and utilizing an automation tool for GCP cost optimization. These strategies can help prevent surprises on your cloud bill and maximize ROI from Google’s cloud offerings.