Our friends at Coupons.com [1] and savings expert Jeanette Pavini [2] put together some money-saving tips for planning a Thanksgiving meal.

1) One of the easiest ways to save money: don't overdo it. Search online for a meat calculator. Enter the number of kids and adults, whether they're light or heavy eaters, and find out exactly how many pounds you will need. It will even tell you how much gravy and stuffing are needed.

2) If you're only serving a few, don't feel obligated to buy the whole turkey. A turkey breast will do the job.

3) Stick to inexpensive bottles of wine, and pour the wine into a decorative decanter.

4) Price matching can apply to turkeys, too. For example, Safeway [3] guarantees the lowest price on frozen turkeys and will match a competitor's price when you show the ad or coupon.

5) Apply tried-and-true money-saving strategies to your Thanksgiving meal. Check store ads, Coupons.com [4], and manufacturers' websites to get the lowest price combination. For example, on the Butterball website, there is $1 off on a Butterball Fresh Turkey with the purchase of one package Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. I then went on Coupons.com [5] and found a 50-cent coupon when you buy any two Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls. Tack on the mail-in rebate for $5 in coupons with the purchase of a fresh or frozen whole turkey on the Butterball website. Combine that with a store ad, and you've saved four ways!