HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Thanksgiving dinner will be more expensive compared to years past, but the CBS 6 Problem Solvers shopped around town to find the best deals for your meal.
Farm Bureau’s 37th annual survey provided a snapshot of the average cost of this year’s classic Thanksgiving feast for 10, which is $64.05 or less than $6.50 per person.
The price accounts for a 20% increase from last year’s average of $53.31.
The Thanksgiving basket includes a frozen turkey, pumpkin pie mix, pie crust, milk, celery, baby carrots, sweet peas, fresh cranberries, sweet potatoes, heavy whipping cream, stuffing and rolls.
Grocery store chains like Lidl and Kroger are offering ways for customers to cushion the impacts of inflation as they prepare holiday meals.
CBS 6 Problem Solver Brendan King first traveled to Lidl on West Broad Street where he met up with the store’s Director of Communications Will Harwood.
“We are proud to be delivering a Thanksgiving basket that can feed up to 10 people for under $30,” he stated. “A Thanksgiving basket under $30 is a big deal and we are really happy to make that investment in our shoppers.”
The centerpiece on most Thanksgiving tables — the turkey — costs more than last year, at $28.96 for a 16-pound bird. That’s $1.81 per pound, up 21% from last year, due to several factors beyond general inflation, according to the Farm Bureau’s website.
Harwood said Lidl is offering their turkey for 49 cents a pound using the My Lidl app.
Our Lidl shopping trip cost $29.85 — a few cents shy of the $30 budget.
Kroger is also offering deals to attract families planning to feed many people this year. Brendan stopped by the Kroger in Short Pump to shop with Mid-Atlantic Corporate Affairs Manager James Meness.
He said their goal is to enable customers to serve 10 people for less than $5 per person or $50.
“I think this year people are excited to get back together. I think we are going to have big family gathering across our footprint and across the country,” Meness stated.
The grocer is offering turkeys for as low as 39 cents a pound with a $25 purchase and using your Kroger Plus Card.
Meness and Brendan grabbed the stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, in addition to the pumpkin pie.
Their total was $47.25 — $2.75 cheaper than the $50 goal.
Farm Bureau have detailed the price increases of individual items:
- 16-pound turkey: $28.96 or $1.81 per pound (up 21%)
- 14-ounce bag of cubed stuffing mix: $3.88 (up 69%)
- 2 frozen pie crusts: $3.68 (up 26%)
- Half pint of whipping cream: $2.24 (up 26%)
- 1 pound of frozen peas: $1.90 (up 23%)
- 1 dozen dinner rolls: $3.73 (up 22%)
- Misc. ingredients to prepare the meal: $4.13 (up 20%)
- 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix: $4.28 (up 18%)
- 1 gallon of whole milk: $3.84 (up 16%)
- 3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $3.96 (up 11%)
- 1-pound veggie tray (carrots & celery): 88 cents (up 8%)
- 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries: $2.57 (down 14%)
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