Here's How Much More Your Thanksgiving Meal Will Cost This Year

It is time for Thanksgiving turkey you all!

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It is time for Thanksgiving turkey you all!
skynesher/istockphoto

Up, Up, and Away

Grocery prices jumped 12.4% in October compared to a year ago, which means this year's Thanksgiving Day spread is going to cost a lot more than it did in 2021. We've crunched some numbers from October's consumer price index to determine which components of the typical Turkey Day meal rose the most over the last year. The costs for these common holiday ingredients have increased an average of 18.8% since a year ago, compared with a slower 7.7% advance in prices in the overall economy.


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Homemade Glazed Easter Spiral Cut Ham
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Jars with spices
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Salt, Seasonings, and Spices: 10.3%

No meal is complete without seasonings. If you usually brine your turkey with thyme and load up the stuffing with sage, those little jars of herbs are going to add up fast this year.


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Cheese plate italian food with honey, mint and walnuts on beautiful wooden board on old wooden table
Максим Крысанов/istockphoto

Cheese: 12.4%

If you put out a cheese platter for your guests to graze on while you're cooking dinner, that cheddar, pepperjack, and baked brie costs about 12% more this year compared to 2021.


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Freshly baked pav (Indian dinner rolls)
Manjiri Gujar/istockphoto

Fresh Biscuits and Rolls: 13.6%

We all know someone who only ever seems to eat the dinner rolls at Thanksgiving and very little else. Sopping your gravy up with bakery rolls and biscuits is going to cost more this year.

Pouring Gravy
DebbiSmirnoff/istockphoto

Sauces and Gravies: 14.6%

Gravy and other sauces in a jar are up more than 14% this year. If you've never made your own gravy before, it's pretty easy, so this might be a good year to give it a whirl. 

sugar
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Sugar and Sweets: 14.9%

Holiday baking is a quintessential part of Thanksgiving, but the sugar used for pumpkin pies, apple crisps, and banana pudding is up almost 15% this year. If you put a bowl of candy out for guests, keeping it stocked is going to cost more too.

Potatoes
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Potatoes: 15.2%

Whether you prefer Yukon Golds or russets for your mashed potatoes, chances are you're going to pay more to mash them up this Thanksgiving. 

Preparing Turkey for Holiday Dinner
kajakiki/istockphoto

Turkey and Other Uncooked Poultry: 16.9%

A bird flu outbreak is the main culprit for the steep rise in prices for both raw turkey and chicken. As of September, nearly 44 million turkeys had to be culled this year because of it. 

Traditional Green Bean Casserole
DreamBigPhotos/istockphoto

Canned Vegetables: 18%

Love it or hate it, green bean casserole is a must-have for many Thanksgiving tables. The vintage recipe traditionally calls for canned green beans, which have gone up 18%.

A Whole French Silk Chocolate Cream Pie with Whipped Topping and Chocolate Curls
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Frozen and Refrigerated Pies: 18.6%

If there are no bakers in your family or you just can't resist Marie Callender's, watch that price tag in the supermarket, because frozen and refrigerated bakery products like pies, tarts, and turnovers are up across the board.

crackers cheese and crackers sugar in black plate on wood table
samritk/istockphoto

Crackers: 18.7%

All those appetizer dips and cheese boards need some crackers to go with them. But crackers and cracker products are up almost 19% over the last year, making enjoying Aunt Edna's cheese ball pricier. 

All Purpose Flour in a Measuring Cup
Michelle Lee Photography/istockphoto

Flour and Prepared Flour Mixes: 24.6%

The price increase in staples like crackers, bakery, and bread can all be attributed in part to the big rise in the price of flour during the last year. 

Stick of butter, cut
funkybg/istockphoto

Butter and Margarine: 33.6%

Butter or margarine is used in all kinds of Thanksgiving items, from the stick used to lather the turkey to the chunk thrown into sweet potatoes. If you're a butter-only household, the pain is slightly less: The price of butter has risen 26.7% during the last year compared to margarine's whopping 47.1% increase.

Still life image of brown and white eggs in cardboard egg cartons
CatLane/istockphoto

Eggs: 43%

You've probably noticed the astronomical price increase of eggs, to the tune of 43% more than the last year. That's going to make your holiday baking — not to mention breakfast — a lot more expensive this season.