Huh, Thanksgiving Inflation?
Of course, I realize that I'm not the typical grocery shopper (Strategy: How to Save Money on Groceries), but even a quick scan of the local grocery flyers can help you find where the best deals on turkey, stuffing, vegetables, etc. can be found. Heck, even Walmart is offering This year's meal at last year's price.
So I tracked down my receipts from last year and compared what I paid for typical Thanksgiving items in 2021 to the prices I've been able to find locally this year. Some things that we buy were hard-to-find in 2021 due to pandemic shortages (hello Jimmy Dean sausage!) and I didn't buy them on sale, but I was just glad to get everything we needed at that point.
Here is a comparison between 2021 and 2022 costs based on my actual spending and research:
Item | 2021 | 2022 |
Shady Brook Farm Frozen Turkey Breast (14lb) | $27.86 | $27.86 |
(2) Jimmy Dean Sausage Roll (16oz) | $9.98 | $7.98 |
(2) Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing | $5.32 | $4.96 |
(3) Green Giant Simply Steam Frozen Corn | $3.00 | $2.64 |
(2) Le Sueur Peas (15oz) | $3.36 | $3.34 |
(2) Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce | $3.16 | $3.34 |
Russet Potatoes (5lb) | $2.74 | $2.78 |
Yukon Gold Potatoes (5lb) | $4.68 | $2.49 |
Butternut Squash (6lb) | $5.94 | $4.14 |
Total | $66.04 | $59.53 |
-9.86% |
I was able to easily put this list together by checking prices at Walmart, Shaws, Stop & Shop, and Market Basket prior to going grocery shopping. I was certainly pleased to see that Shaws had the turkey breast we buy on sale for $1.99/lb like last year since that is the most expensive item on the list. I'm also not sure why I paid so much more for Yukon Gold potatoes in 2021 since they can typically be found on sale for buy 1 get 1 free at Stop & Shop prior to Thanksgiving. Market Basket had them on sale for $2.49 this year, so I grabbed them there when picking up the peas, sausage, cranberry sauce, and butternut squash.
Happy Thanksgiving!