Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Football, family, friends, and more food than you can shake a stick at is what the holiday is all about! It’s a wonderful day to be with the ones you love, but if you’re hosting, it can be a bit of an investment!

And if in this year of social distancing there will be fewer people around the table; here are a few tips to help keep costs down, without sacrificing quality time, tradition, and your meal.

Opts for More Simple Recipes

Take a look at what you’re planning to cook this year and ask yourself if you can simplify anything. Often costs skyrocket as unnecessary ingredients are added. For example, if your family is alright with canned cranberry sauce, it’s perfectly alright to serve that instead of a homemade cranberry sauce that requires you to purchase bags of berries and several new spices. Does anyone really like the green gelled salad?

Ask Others to Bring in the Sides

If you’re hosting dinner, don’t be afraid to assign items like desserts, rolls, drinks, napkins, etc. Most people will offer to bring something or will plan on bringing a hostess gift for you anyway.

Consider What You Actually Need

Many families enjoy the tradition of the Rockwell-esque scene where the perfectly browned turkey is presented to the table and then carved. However, many of those same families end up with more turkey than they know what to do with! Consider purchasing just the breast this year and cooking it in a crockpot to save money and free up your oven.

Plan Ahead

A frozen turkey is much less expensive than a fresh one! Plan and build in time for that bird to thaw!

Don’t forget to watch the grocery store circulars and for other deals to see what prices look like each week on the foods you plan to buy. Don’t be afraid to talk to a store manager to see if he or she knows when the best deal on an item may be out.

Finally, spread out your purchases as best you can. It’s much easier to stomach a few extra items each week than it is to leave the store with one, extra large and extra expensive haul right before the big day.