Battle of the supermarkets: Reporter goes on quest for the cheaper Thanksgiving dinner
CHILLICOTHE— Between avian flu and inflation Thanksgiving dinner may cost the host a bit more money this year as prices have risen. In October, the average cost per pound of a whole frozen turkey, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, already cost over 30 cents more than it did last year.
To see just how much Thanksgiving dinner would cost to host I recently went to Walmart and Kroger, the two of the large grocers in the area, to see for myself what the prices were. For this experiment, the traditional Thanksgiving dinner will need to feed around 10 people. This will include a 16-pound turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, a vegetable of some sort, rolls, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie for dessert. I am also trying to go for a nice mix of efficient yet tasty so not all items will be homemade.
At Walmart, the turkey I decided on was $18.88 and was a Butterball all-natural bird. The Walmart website showed the average price for this turkey was around $1.18 per pound. I then went to get the stuffing and settled on a classic Stove Top Stuffing Mix. A box, which cost $1.98 said it had six servings so I picked up two just to be safe and make sure everyone was fed. As previously stated I want a mix of handmade food in this dinner, not just things out of a can so homemade mashed potatoes were a must, so added to my total was a five pound $2.84 bag of potatoes, a $1.72 half-gallon of milk and a $3.43 tub of butter. To go on top of the potatoes I purchased three $0.64 turkey gravy mixes, a package serves four.
It is possible to also make your own gravy with the turkey which could save you money if you have the necessary ingredients already. For the vegetable, the Great Value brand had a family-sized canned corn for $1, each can having a serving size of seven so to be safe I got two cans. Also in a can of the cranberry sauce which cost $1.79 and serves six so two cans were needed. Nobody at this dinner will be getting any extra rolls as Sister Schubert's sells a 10-count bag for $3.88, perfect for this experiment. Finally, for dessert a freshness guaranteed eight-inch pumpkin pie cost $4.28 again the serving size was low so two pies were needed to feed 10 people.
Overall, the total Walmart price for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, sides and a dessert cost around $50.77 not including any tax. This price includes having a mix of homemade and from the can ingredients.
At Kroger, I set out to get the same products keeping the homemade items the same in an effort to make the playing ground as equal as possible. The Butterball turkey cost around $1.53 per pound making a 16-pound turkey cost $25.44. The Stove Top turkey stuffing cost $2 and served six people so two boxes were required. The five-pound bag of potatoes cost $1.97, also for the homemade mashed potatoes I picked up a $2.29 half gallon of milk and a $3.49 tub of butter. The Kroger brand turkey gravy cost $0.49 each and three were needed due to the serving size. Kroger also had canned corn which cost $0.89 but only served around three and a half servings so three cans were needed. Two cans of $2 cranberry sauce were needed as well. The same 10-count bag of rolls that were purchased at Walmart cost $4. For dessert a bakery fresh eight-inch pumpkin pie was purchased for $3.99 and since one pie serves six people two were needed.
Overall, the total Kroger price for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, sides and a dessert cost around $55.84 not including any tax. This price includes having a mix of homemade and from the can ingredients.
When comparing prices both stores tend to fall in the same price range, but ultimately during this experiment Walmart turned out to be the cheaper option when buying a Thanksgiving meal. Not factored into these prices are the equipment it takes to cook including electricity, pots and pans and utensils or the seasoning and spices needed to add flavor.
There are many ways to reduce this cost including using coupons and splitting up the cooking. Designating individuals to cook and bring a specific food to dinner will help ease the financial burden the host faces. This instead helps spread out the cost and the labor among those attending.
When shopping it is also advisable to compare prices both in-store and between grocers. You do not have to buy the entire dinner at the same place so by price-checking between stores you can save more money. You can also save money by comparing brands, oftentimes store name brands are cheaper but taste the same.
Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Reporter goes on quest for the cheaper Thanksgiving dinner
