As Thanksgiving is fast approaching, you’ll actually be spending less on your holiday groceries than you did last year.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual report, released on Wednesday (November 27), the cost of creating a Thanksgiving feast is down. The survey found that a classic, festive dinner for 10 people will cost about $58.08 on average, which is a five percent decrease from last year.
Nevertheless, the current cost for a dinner with 10 people is still 19 percent higher than it was five years ago.
The 2024 survey also looked at the price of specific items in a Thanksgiving feast, from the turkey to the cubed stuffing. Seven items dropped in pricing this year, including sweet potatoes, frozen peas, pumpkin pie mix, a vegetable tray of carrots and celery, and a turkey. In 2024, a 16-pound turkey costs an average of $25.67 – six percent less than what it cost last year.
However, the turkey still accounts for 44.2 percent of the cost for a 10-person dinner. In addition, side dishes and other sweets are actually up in price this year, including dinner rolls, fresh cranberries, whipping cream, and cube stuffing.
Although some items are more expensive this year, that doesn’t mean they’re not affordable. When the cost of cranberries – which rose by 12 percent this year – was adjusted for inflation, the American Farm Bureau Federation found that this was the lowest cost for cranberries since 1987.
It’s also important to note that the cost of groceries can vary significantly depending on where in the United States you live. For Americans in the West celebrating Thanksgiving, their grocery bills will be at least 14 percent higher than the rest of the country, with the expectation to pay $67.05 for a meal for 10 people.
Meanwhile, other regions of the U.S. are expected to pay less, with dinner for 10 people in the South costing $56.81. People in the Northeast will spend $57.36 on their 10-person Thanksgiving feast, while people in the Midwest will spend $58.90.
Leading up to Thanksgiving, many retailers have also launched inexpensive meal boxes – so you can spend less this holiday. For example, Target is offering its $20 Thanksgiving meal, which comes with everything needed to serve a group of four, including a frozen turkey that can weigh up to 10 pounds.
The meal also includes five pounds of potatoes, 14.5 ounces of cut green beans, 10.5 ounces of cream of mushroom soup, 14 ounces of cranberry sauce, six ounces of turkey stuffing, and 12 ounces of roasted turkey gravy.
Meanwhile, Aldi is offering a $47 meal for 10 people, including all the ingredients for your Thanksgiving turkey and side dishes. In a similar vein, Walmart has a meal for eight for $49.69, with 29 featured items included in this bundle.
