Only a few more days till the big turkey day! Lots of planning and shopping and scurrying around to put together the perfect meal. Here are 10 tips and tricks to have a smooth Thanksgiving holiday!

1. Have a plan– Do a fridge cleaning on Friday before to make room for all the Thanksgiving supplies and to leave plenty of room for leftovers. Shop early to get the best pick of the bird and beat the last minute scurry to get whats left. Pre plan your menu so cooking day goes smooth and you know what needs to be started next. Try Allrecipes.com for family favorites!

2. Let the kids help– Kids will be so excited to help, let them open packages of butter or set the table. If they are old enough let then mix up a batch of cookies. My job when I was little was to make sure everyone had their drinks, that is a big job for a little one. If you want them to stay busy give them an assigned “special” job which will make them feel like they are really contributing.

3. Make it a potluck– It’s not too late to contact guests and plan for each person to bring a dish! With everyone’s own unique dish and flavor it will be a Thanksgiving to remember!

4. Ask the Pros– Check in with the Foodnetwork.com for tons of signature dishes and tricks from all the Food Network top chef star contributors like Bobby Flay, Emril Legasse, or Paula Deen.

5. Know your turkey– At Foodnetwork.com there is a Turkey Buying Guide to help sort through all the turkey terms like self-basting, free-range, natural, kosher or organic.

6. It’s okay to cheat– If you’re pressed for time check out the produce section at your local store for pre-cut fresh veggies to help with soups, sides and salads. Pre packaged pies and desserts are a huge time saver and really taste well worth it.

7. Let somebody else cook– Your favorite restaurant or grocery store will undoubtedly be offering prepared turkeys and some full coarse meals to take home for a crowd.

8. Skip the bird–Vegetarians already know about savory substitutes made of Tofu known as Tofurkey, the soy-based version of a holiday bird.

9. Road trip to savings– Bundle your trips. Make it a day of running errands to limit traffic on the road and make things a little easier because you are making one day of running around not 5 more honey do trips back to the store.

10. Know where to call for help– So many sources listed below who want to help if you have trouble with your holiday meal.

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The USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hot Line will be available to help with turkey trouble and food safety questions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving day Call (800) 535-4555.

Butterball’s Turkey-Talk Line is back at (800)-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372). Hours are 9 a.m to 9 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thanksgiving day.

Call Reynold’s Turkey Tips Hotline for recorded defrosting and roasting instructions at (800) 745-4000.

Even Ocean spray is in on the act with a 24-hour consumer helpline at 800-662-3263 Thanksgiving Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Need some relief from the holiday demands? Have a laugh at the Top 10 wackiest questions to the helpline. (It’s also worth a visit to oceanspray.com for the recipes and planning ideas.)