I hate to contribute to the Debbie downer talk about the economy and the importance of saving money, but the Thanksgiving meal can be heavy, not only in calories, but on your pocketbook as well. 

Here are some tips that might not only save us money, but lighten up your calorie load as well.

1) Recruit help.  So maybe you have always flown solo, but your friends and family will understand.  Find out what dishes people would not mind bringing over to share. Lighten up your both workload and money and enjoy a new dish! I like to ask my guests to bring over the recipe to share as well.

2) Don’t try to please everyone under the sun. Every holiday my little sister would have a laundry list of her favorites for mom to prepare.  After showering my mom with compliments on her cooking, mom would find herself roped into to 8 different sides. Not necessary. Don’t feel the need to prepare a history of dishes you have made in the past. Stick with the simple, yet delicious favorites from each group: protein - bird or ham, starch (sweet potato, mashed potatoes or stuffing), vegetable dish, and a roll ending with your sweet finale.

3) Make just enough. Every recipe will vary with the number of people it will serve. Tailor those recipes to the actual number of guests. I personally have a hard time with this, because I love the leftovers. Esp leftovers 3 hours later… (:  But for certain foods, like the pecan pie, leftovers continue to do non necessary damage. For the turkey, you only need 1-1.5# per person. So for a table of 6 - requires an 8# bird. 

4) Go frozen when you can. My mom makes a great broccoli and cauliflower casserole. In the past she has bought fresh vegetables for this dish. In a baked dish in which other ingredients are added, you can save money by buying frozen veggies which you might find on sale for a dollar a bag. Frozen can be just as healthy as fresh because of the short shelf life they have before they are preserved. They can also save you time, if they are chopped or prepared as required by the recipe.

Frozen turkey versus fresh? Sometimes frozen turkeys can actually taste better than fresh. Fresh turkeys are stored at very cold temperatures, which allows ice crystals to form that can puncture the cell membrane, which causes the turkey to lose moisture. In addition, the cost per pound of a fresh turkey is almost double that of a frozen turkey.

5) Finally, create your holiday meal list soon. By starting the grocery shopping early, you can catch some great deals. Try to shop the less busy hours as well. A relaxed, organized shopper will spend the time comparing both nutritional value and prices.