Time to be extra thankful
This year’s Thanksgiving feast is going to be spendy, according to the American Farm Bureau’s Federation 37th annual survey.
The cost of a dinner for 10 is $64.05 or less than $6.50 per person, a 20 percent increase from last year, which was $53.31 and 2020’s $46.90.
Although many grocery stores are offering turkeys at lower prices and having sales on other Thanksgiving items, so shop carefully.
There are many factors that are affecting food prices including inflation, the infamous avian influenza and the war in Ukraine that has led to supply train disruptions.
Here is a list of individual food prices from the Farm Bureau’s survey — keep in mind that you may find item cheaper or more expensive depending on the area you live in and the stores where you shop.
Individual Prices
- 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%)
The increase in food prices should make all of us who can afford this year’s Turkey dinner more thankful than ever.
We should all be extra thankful this year because we have food to eat, a roof over our heads and our family around us.
When I sit down to this year’s feast I will be thinking about the people of Ukraine who have lost so much. The temperature was in the single digits today when my husband went out to shovel our driveway this morning. I can’t imagine how the Ukrainians are dealing with the cold with no heat. And I bet many wish they had a driveway to shovel.
Many have lost family, members, homes, and their livelihoods, and are haunted by the images of war. Their lives will never be the same again.
So, although I’m not happy about the cost of this year’s meal, I have so many things to be grateful for a healthy family, a roof over my head and a husband that is still able to shovel the driveway.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
