Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without turkey and all the trimmings. But the price of Christmas dinner is on the increase (as is the rest of Christmas).

There's a reason we're all so broke in January.

But there has to be a way to cut down the cost of Christmas dinner, doesn't there? Here are some money saving tips for the dinner on the big day.

Plan early.
This is the easiest way to save. Start early. A lot of the Christmas dinner can be made in advance - cranberry sauce, Christmas pudding. These will all keep (and taste better the longer you leave them). If you're not shelling out for everything in the same shopping trip, you'll find the cost easier to manage. You might not save any money, but January won't seem as scary.

Try pot-luck dinner.
If you're having dinner with a lot of your family, stop being a control freak and ask them to bring something. If they bring the booze, you'll make life easier for yourself and save money. It's only right that they pitch in, isn't it?

Ask people to cough up.
Yes, it's the season of goodwill. But cooking dinner for 12 isn't cheap. Of course, I'm not suggesting that you take your kid's share out of their pocket money, but you should share the costs of the dinner. And share the washing up too.

But chicken instead of turkey.
Not only are they easier to cook and much less worrying about whether or not they'll be done in time, but they're cheaper too. Buy two or three and they should fit on one shelf in the oven if you swap them about a bit during cooking. You'll spend less time in the kitchen, everything will be cooked on time and you've saved yourself about £40. If you still want a turkey, buy a crown instead. It's smaller, it's got all the bits you want and cooks quicker too. Brilliant.

Ignore the bird.
Turkey will set you back about £40. A pork joint will set you back about £10. Even an organic one is half the price. Turkey isn't the only thing you can eat on Christmas day. In fact, we haven't had turkey for about 15 years. There are other much yummier things to be eating.

Make your own crackers.
It's fun, and you'll save money. You can buy cracker kits from most stationery and craft shops. Pop your own sweets in them and you've got yourself a fun and cheap table decoration.

Buy your wine in bulk.
You know you're going to go through a lot of booze at Christmas. Don't pretend otherwise! So pop down to a wine wholesaler and buy a case instead of bottles from the supermarket. Shop around for the bubbly, make sure you've got the best deal. If you start looking now, you'll find some great deals.

Christmas dinner doesn't have to be traditional. If you're saving money, you can still have a great meal. Christmas is meant to be about spending time with friends and family, not eating turkey sandwiches for three days.