Your Thanksgiving Feast Will Cost Less This Year

Image courtesy of Quadel

After the average price of Thanksgiving dinner topped $50 for the first time ever in 2015, consumers are getting a break this year: the American Farm Bureau Federation says the average cost of a feast for 10 people will be $49.87, a $0.24 drop from a year ago.

The Federation, an agricultural trade group, looked at prices for turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk — all in quantities capable of feeding 10 people with plenty of leftovers.

The star of the meal is about $0.30 cheaper per whole turkey (for a 16-pound bird) than it was in 2015, and should cost you about $22.74 this year.

RELATED: Turkey Talk: What Do Labels Like “Young,” “Fresh” And “Natural” Actually Mean?

Other foods that saw a decrease in price include pumpkin pie mix, milk, and a veggie tray of celery and carrots.

You may pay slightly more for things like a dozen brown-and-serve rolls ($2.46); two nine-inch pie shells, ($2.59); one pound of green peas ($1.58); 12 ounces of fresh cranberries ($2.39); a half-pint of whipping cream ($2.00); a 14-ounce package of cubed bread stuffing ($2.67); and a three-pound bag of fresh sweet potatoes ($3.60).

“Consumers will pay less than $5 per person for a classic Thanksgiving dinner this year,” AFBF Director of Market Intelligence Dr. John Newton said. “We have seen farm prices for many foods — including turkeys — fall from the higher levels of recent years,” which translates into lower retail prices for many items in the runup to the holiday, he adds.

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