The seven steps before you start your checklist:

1. Find friends.

Don’t have friends? Try calling up the people in your contacts list who you’re pretty sure will bring lots of beer. Beer. Beer. Beer.

2. Plan food.

What are you going to a tailgate for? Those stale white, with a little bit of flour in a weird patch, hamburger buns are a classic. Ask around before you leave to make sure you don’t have a vegan in your midst. If you do come across a vegetarian make sure to leave them out in the sun so they can get lots of rain and sunshine. Here’s our favorite tailgating foods, if you need inspiration.

3. Read the tailgating rules.

Then pretend to follow the tailgating rules. Some stadiums now prohibit alcohol. Those heathens.

4. Get someone smart to pack all your stuff.

Thank them profusely. Show your gratitude by giving them some hand-crafted pale ale you mooched off the dude two cars down.

5. Plan your outfit the night before.

Kidding. Just make sure your jersey is near the top of the laundry basket so you can find it in a hurry. Double check the number to make sure that guy is still on the team.

6. Set reminders on your phone.

Add a note as to what your friends cars look like. Maybe drop a little red pin into your maps to remember where you parked your car. If you’re grilling, set a time to remind you to put the marinated meat on that grill.

7. Buy tickets.

You might be going to the game just for the tailgate party, but you still have to go support the team who’s colors you’re wearing on your face. Also, don’t leave those tickets in the visor of the car you left at home. You can buy Colts tickets from Bullseye Event Group. See you in Lucas Oil Stadium!

Or if you’re a Colts fan, you could leave all your stuff at home and buy tickets to the Colts VIP tailgate, it’s the best tailgate in Indianapolis.