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ESCANABA -- Thanksgiving dinner can be expensive, but in most cases, you can save if you buy at the right time.  And if you're looking to try some entrées from scratch, there are a few easy recipes that won't hurt your budget either.

From turkey to stuffing to the dinner rolls, feeding an average family of four Thanksgiving Day can be pricey.  But luckily most grocery stores hold specials beginning the week before and continue through the holidays.

Elmer's County Market in Escanaba estimates a full dinner for family of four costs about $24, that's a savings of $12 from the regular prices.

"Everybody usually runs the same items every year," said Elmer's GM, Rod Stende.  "The manufacturers put them on deal every year.  This is one of the biggest weeks of the year for grocery stores, well, and Christmas...busy time.  The biggest thing for us is keeping the shelves stocked."

Something else to keep in mind:  don't buy too much food.

"The rule of thumb with a turkey is with Thanksgiving, you want to buy about a pound, a pound and a half per person," explained House of Ludington cook, Suzell Eisenberger.  "They say about one potato per person is plenty; sometimes you can cut that down.  So if you have a table of 20, you don't necessarily need 20 potatoes, but if you have a small table of 4 people, then you need about 4 potatoes."

So if you're looking to think "outside the box" this Thanksgiving, there are a few recipes you can try at home from scratch for about the same price.  

Local restaurant cooks say homemade mashed potatoes are easy:  just peel, boil and mash.  And stuffing, especially if you already have ingredients in your house, can be easy, too.

"Homemade stuffing is pretty easy to do, too," Eisenberger said.  "You want to sauté your onions, celery, fresh butter, and you know, use up your old bread you have in the cooler, use that up and get a new batch next week."

Most of the sales are expected to last through the end of the month.