Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Up More Than 13 Percent For 2022

Thanksgiving Dinner is costing more this year. Business publications consider it a universal metric to describe the state of the economy, that everyone can understand. Ordinary folks see it as a measure of how thankful they should be for what they have…

My Roast Turkey: Not hard to make, and always comes out reliably
crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside!

To shrink it down to a single point: The cost of the basic, no-frills Thanksgiving Dinner is up 13.5 percent. If that sounds like a lot, consider the cost increases, year over year, of some of the starring ingredients…

On the menu today

• Turkey
• Mashed Potatoes
• Simple Side (Chef’s) Salad
• Cranberry Sauce
• Pumpkin Pie

First of all, remember that his menu excludes traditional sides and adornments some folks consider indispensable. Most folks have family faves that simply HAVE to be on the feast table to make the meal ‘official’. For example: asparagus, brussles sprouts, oyster stuffing, a ‘better’ bottle of wine. We’re just going to take for granted they’re up even more than the basics.

A slap in the face

The centrepiece

Some folks will consider it a real slap in the face that they’re being asked to pay an average of 24 percent more for their Thanksgiving Turkey this year. But that’s due, at least in part, to the unfortunate fact that Turkey is particularly sensitive to all the pressures that are pushing inflation right now. In fact, food prices are rising faster than the average for retail goods in general due to inflation, supply snarls and bad weather. And seasonal specialties such as Turkeys are rising even faster.

The other side of the plate

I’ll bet you’ve never really considered – much less worried about – the cost of the Potatoes on any festive feast plate. Even if they’re gussied up with cream, grated cheese and who knows what else. That’s because potatoes have always been one of he cheapest and most plentiful components you can put on the table. But this Thanksgiving, they’re up 19.9 percent! over last. Makes you sit up – and think…

Can we afford to eat more greens?

Agriculture and Health Canada agree with the USFDA that the ingredients for a simple Chef’s Salad – pretty plain for a major feast day meal – are way up. Lettuce in particular is crazy right now. We’re right on the cusp of the end of the California Lettuce season and the start of Arizona (or is it the other way around?) which makes supply chain even less stable than usual.

I saw a 3-head pack of Romaine Hearts at just under $8.00 when I was cruising the produce department the other day. *SIGH* And let’s also remember the cost of other ingredients for our ‘simple’ salad – radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, and so on – which are up even more. Sister Erin remarked, “Our American cousins should be thankful the cost of their Salad is up only 9 – 10 percent overall!”

Oh, yes – the cranberries

Whether you like them or not (and some surveys say as many as half of North Americans don’t particularly like ’em), tradition mandates that they be present in some form on every Turkey-feast table to make the picture compete. The little red bullets are up a staggering 18 percent.

Finally, dessert…

I always make a Pumpkin Pie for any festive feast, regardless of the main or any sub-themes on the bill of fare. This year, at American Thanksgiving time, they are up even more than they were in Canada st our Thanksgiving, the second Monday in October! Dear American friends and loved ones: I’m truly sorry that this uniquely North American pleasure is so expensive.

But I hope you’ll stretch your budget to include Whipped Cream, which many of us consider indispensable…

There you have it

Now… How thankful do you feel?

~ Maggie