What does it costs to feed 10 this Thanksgiving?
Looking forward to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner? Here’s one more reason to be thankful: It shouldn’t cost much more than it did last year.
Looking forward to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner?
Here’s one more reason to be thankful: It shouldn’t cost much more than it did last year.
Not that price could dissuade diehards from the annual feast.
The bill to “have it all” will be about 1.3 percent higher than it was last year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 25th annual informal price survey of classic menu items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table.
Nationally, the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 people is $43.47.
That’s 56 cents higher than last year’s average but $1.14 cheaper than the average two years ago, Farm Bureau reported.
The price bump found in Farm Bureau’s survey falls in line with the 1.4 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index’s food index for the year ending in October, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Farm Bureau’s shopping list included turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and beverages of coffee and milk, according to a news release.
Turkey was about 6 cents cheaper per pound this year, at $1.10 per pound, the survey found. That’s despite the fact turkey production has been slightly lower in 2010 and cold-storage turkey supplies are down from last year, Farm Bureau economist John Anderson said, citing U.S. Agriculture Department estimates.
The survey found a gallon of whole milk was more expensive than last year by 38 cents, though last year’s price was the lowest since 2001. The higher price reflects better consumer demand as the economy has gradually improved this year, Anderson said in a news release.
A 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix cost 17 cents more, two 9-inch pie shells were up 12 cents, and a half-pint of whipping cream rose by 15 cents.
Veggies were a mixed bag: 3 pounds of sweet potatoes cost 7 cents more, and the 1-pound relish tray was up 5 cents, but a pound of peas dropped 14 cents. Fresh cranberries were unchanged.
Tags: daily updates, news, thanksgiving, holidays, food, groceries, economy, money, family
More from around the web