JOPLIN, Mo. — If you haven’t bought your turkey and fixings yet for Thanksgiving, you might be in for a surprise at the checkout line.
“Everything is more,” said Carole Goff, Family Meal Maker.
Carole Goff is cooking for nine this Thanksgiving.
And she knows the cost of most of the items that will make up her holiday feast has skyrocketed.
The Farm Bureau has been monitoring the cost of items that make up a traditional Thanksgiving meal for nearly four decades.
This year’s feast will have the largest percentage increase ever, up 20% from last year, and 37% since 2020.
Managers at stores like this often have to order their turkeys months in advance, and usually, there are enough left over from Thanksgiving to tie over till Christmas.
But that may not be the case this holiday season.
Supply chain issues are still a concern.
While some reports indicate there will be plenty of turkeys, some stores are worried they could still not meet the demand.
Carole Goff is a good example of a shopper who’s not willing to take that risk.
“Last Saturday I came in here talked to the butcher asked him to hold one for me, and he said he’d put it in the freezer here, which is a blessing because I don’t have to clear out my freezer to keep it,” said Goff.
Has she ever had to do that before?
“No,” added Goff.
Last year’s average cost of just over $53 has jumped to an average of over $64.
“I noticed one, one thing today, green onions, $2.36 a package, I need two green onions, but I’ll use them,” said Goff.
Turkey prices are up 21% from last year, frozen dinner rolls are up 22%, and sweet potatoes are up 16%.
Meanwhile, a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries is down 14% in cost this year.