5. Get a free turkey. Many supermarkets offer free turkeys to customers who spend a certain amount of money during a promotional period. It's usually not difficult to spend the amount needed to earn a turkey because the shopping period lasts long enough for you to have made several grocery buying trips.

6. Buy a bigger turkey. Larger turkeys are cheaper per pound and make endless leftovers (unless you have a large, ravenous family). Dissect the turkey after dinner into tin-foil packets of white and dark meat and pop them in the freezer. Simmer the bones with chopped carrot, celery, parsley and thyme for a consommée you can use with leftovers. I like to freeze the consommée in ice-cube trays and bag the cubes to be melted as needed. Keep the cubes good and cold, however, or they'll stick together.

7. Buy the turkey early. Grocery stores are already selling turkeys at rock-bottom prices to lure customers into their stores. Make room in the freezer for your early Tom and avoid last-minute prices. Remember, a large turkey requires roughly five days to defrost in the refrigerator, so you'll need room in the fridge as turkey day draws closer. (It's really not safe to defrost a turkey on the counter.)

Buy a good quality turkey. Time is money, and you don't want to have to spend time brining a bland supermarket bird just so that it is juicy and tasty. If you're in California, I'd recommend a Diestel brand turkey (found at Whole Foods among other places). The turkey will have been treated nicely during its life (no factory farms), and will taste better than a Butterball that has been injected with flavored salt water (so-called self-basting). Go for 1 to 1.5 pounds of turkey per person. Stick with the upper end if you want a lot of leftovers.