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Cost of a Thanksgiving meal drops for second straight year

Posted at 5:16 PM, Nov 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-18 17:16:30-05

ARKANSAS -- The cost of a Thanksgiving feast is the cheapest it has been since 2015, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The organization has surveyed the average cost of a Thanksgiving Day meal since 1986.

For the 32nd year, AFBF found the national average for the Thanksgiving meal for ten people to be just over $49, or about 1.5% cheaper than in 2016. This marked the second consecutive year that the cost has declined.

American Farm Bureau Federation

Walmart has since released a Thanksgiving dinner menu of its own with prices found on items inside its stores.

The list includes some store brand items:

  • Butterball Frozen Turkey - $0.98 per lb. (14 lbs = $13.72)
  • Great Value Turkey or Brown Gravy Mix - $0.52 (x2 = $1.04)
  • Great Value Cornbread Stuffing - $0.75 (x 3 = $2.25)
  • Sweet Potatoes - $2.94 (x 1 three lb bag = $2.94)
  • Marketside Hawaiian Style Rolls - $2.50 (x3 = $5.00)
  • Great Value Green Beans – $0.50 (x 4 = $2.00)
  • Fresh Cranberries - $1.98 for 12 oz (x1 = $1.98)
  • Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie - $2.97 (x1 = $2.97)
  • Whipped Cream - $1.24 (x1 = $1.24)
  • Total = $33.14 before tax

The retail giant also recommended Thanksgiving meal shoppers beat the last minute crowds, especially on the Monday before Thanksgiving Day, which has been Walmart's biggest day for turkey sales.

According to the survey, turkey saw one of the largest drops in price since last year. The Farm Bureau attributed the decrease to continued large inventory in cold storage.