This is me saying, “I want Thanksgiving back!” Do not open your doors before 5AM on Friday. Do not steal the attention from things that actually matter.

Typically, I write about how to save money or avoid the temptation to indulge. I, at times, have chastened friends for their unnecessary expenditures. Today, I want to express quite the opposite.

With Thanksgiving coming up at the end of this month, I naturally begin to think more and more about gratitude and the role it plays in my family. We have striven to teach our kids to appreciate what they have and be generous with others.

Halloween can definitely get expensive after buying decorations, costumes for the whole family, food for parties and treats for the trick-or-treaters. Personally, I’d like to celebrate holidays in a less expensive style.

One of the expense categories where my wife and I struggle the most is dining out. And I imagine that we are not the only ones. So here are some tips that we have found to be helpful.