This year has been cruising by and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. You can have all the other holidays — to me there’s nothing better than Thanksgiving.

Yet, with some people still reeling from losing jobs this year and others struggling to adhere to budgets, celebrating Thanksgiving can amount to one more big bill.

Here’s 7 ways to save on Thanksgiving Dinner.

1. Bring Your Own Something.
Whether you’ve been hosting Thanksgiving dinner for years or it’s your first time, it’s okay to ask your family and friends to contribute. That’s what Thanksgiving is about. Contributing to the bounty of the table, then sharing it together.

A popular method is to throw a potluck-style Thanksgiving, where you invite your guests to bring a dish to share with the group. Be sure to organize this a bit, so people bring a variety of side dishes and desserts … otherwise your table might have the turkey, 5 bowls of stuffing, 3 pumpkin pies — and nothing else on it.

2. Downsize your poundsize.
No, I don’t mean a diet. That’s for after New Year’s, silly.

But you could buy a smaller turkey, you know.

Thanksgiving is all about sharing the abundant harvest. But Americans make a habit of focusing on abundance to a fault. Have you ever cooked a huge turkey, only to have tons of meat end up in leftovers and soup? I can tell you that I have, and that sure can be good, too. But is it needed?

Instead, plan around how much you actually need to feed everyone. Don’t cook more than people will eat. Minimize the leftovers.

3. Go turkey free.
The turkey is the Thanksgiving staple, but it doesn’t have to be. Some people don’t like turkey and — shock! — vegetarians won’t eat it. Does this make their Thanksgiving any less full of thanks? Nope.

If your family isn’t passionate for the turkey experience, or has other tastes, why not skip the turkey? Make a great pasta or a special curry. Try a turkey loaf or vegetarian Celebration Roast. Do something different.

Remember, what matters most is the getting together and sharing with others. That’s what Thanksgiving is about. What you share doesn’t matter as much.

Create your own traditions — and if they happen to cost less, so much the better, right?

4. Use local sales.
Thanksgiving is the focal point for the greatest sales of the year. Of course, there’s Black Friday and the beginning of all the Christmas sale hoopla.

But, grocery goods are often at their lowest price for the year. So it’s a perfect time to stock up. Many stores also offer free turkeys, or similar promos, when you spend a certain amount on groceries.

Combine these two together and you have a way to stock up on cheap sugar, flour, and other things that are easy to store (thus saving all year-round), plus you can get the turkey-day discount, too.

(Gaucho has a special Stamp for sharing grocery deals, so take a look and please share any good deals you find near you.)

5. Add some old and new flavors to the feast.
Cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, and other vegetables are big components of many cultural dishes, from Polish ones to Indian ones. They are cheap and prevalent, that’s why. It’s also why they get jazzed up in so many different ways.

Fill out your table setting with a few of these dishes and replace more costly ones. Does your table need a turkey and a ham? Serve some traditional dishes from your family’s culture (especially if you’re with friends from a different background), or incorporate some fusion-style ideas from others. That’s what happened at the first Thanksgiving — people sharing, connecting, and exploring another culture through food.

6. Homemade decorations.
Holiday decorations are a classic part of the season. But, there’s no reason to go overboard on buying fluff. A few items are enough to give your dining room and house a festive feel. These types of items can often be found on the cheap throughout the year at thrift and bargain stores.

This can also a good time to round up the kids for some family time. There’s no limit to what you can do with some leaves and a few sticks. Get creative, have fun, and make your own Thanksgiving decorations.

And while you’re at it, do you really need Thanksgiving paper plates, cups, napkins and the like? Just use regular plates and get people to pitch in and help with washing them. This is an easy way to save some money, plus it’s better for the environment, too.

7. Eat out.
While the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a huge day for pizza delivery (with lots of good deals to hunt out), restaurants are always competing for business on this day. Look for deep discounts (2 for 1) on Chinese, Thai, and other popular foods that aren’t usually associated with Thanksgiving.

If you don’t feel like cooking, there are just scores of different restaurants that offer specials on Thanksgiving dinners. This is a big day for them, so they usually do a good job with the meal.

8. Pack a lunch, stuff a turkey. (That’s right, a bonus way to save.)
Seriously, there’s no underestimating the amount of money you can save just by eating simple, healthy meals at home. And bringing them to work with you.

If you work downtown somewhere, it’s easy for lunch to cost $7, $8, $9 or even more than 10 bucks. Easy. If you didn’t eat out for breakfast or dinner at all for the month of November, and you brought a lunch to work most days, would that savings alone be enough to pay for an awesome Thanksgiving meal?

Gobble Gobble.