Thanksgiving on a budget should be easier this year

Concerns about affordability are widespread these days, and grocery stores are listening — at least when it comes to Thanksgiving staples.

“I’m seeing one good thing: more competition between stores to try to offer the best prices for consumers,” said Lisa Stockert, who runs the Twin Cities Frugal Mom blog.

Although the cost of groceries has generally continued to rise this year, experts believe the price of a Thanksgiving dinner will drop or stay relatively flat from a year ago. That’s because retailers are trying to draw shoppers in by offering lower prices even as stores face higher costs, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

With the cost of a turkey dropping 16% for Thanksgiving this year, the overall cost of the meal is down as well.

The average price of a 10-person holiday meal is down 5% from last year, according to the Farm Bureau. In the Midwest, the group puts the average meal price at about $54

Estimates vary at other institutions. Wells Fargo clocks a store-brand menu for 10 people at $80, about a 3% dip from last year. Deloitte estimates an eight-person meal will come in around $76, a slight decrease.

Even with the break from inflation, many people aren’t trying to spend carelessly, especially as higher prices strain budgets beyond the grocery store.

A Minneapolis survey by Deloitte also found that 89% of consumers are on the lookout for deals during the holiday spending season.

Stockert has several go-to strategies for keeping the bill to a minimum: Buy frozen turkeys and veggies; consider cheaper alternatives to turkey, such as chicken or ham; use in-season produce; and shop for store brands over national brands.

This year, Stockert said to sign up for rewards programs at grocery stores and split the shopping up between multiple businesses to find the best deals.

She also said not to overlook specialty grocers, such as United Noodles in Minneapolis, which can often have better deals on some products, and discount stores, such as Mike’s Discount Foods and Nick and Drew’s Discount Foods, which both have multiple locations in the metro.

Many other stores are offering meal bundles for Thanksgiving as well. Stockert expressed some skepticism about them, saying some stores shrank the bundles compared to last year.

For anyone looking for a quick bundle deal, here’s a list of options in the Twin Cities metro:

Aldi does not offer a specific meal deal, but has circulated a menu of items that can be purchased for $40 and feed up to 10 people.

Cub offers a meal that feeds up to six people for $30, a 15% decrease from last year. It also offers other turkey ($130-$160) and ham ($130) holiday dinners.

Fresh Thyme offers a holiday meal for $100 that serves up to six people.

Hy-Vee offers a $30 meal deal, and a gluten-free version for $50, that feeds up to six people.

Lunds & Byerlys offers a turkey dinner for eight to 10 people for $225.

Sam’s Club offers a meal that feeds 10 people for under $100.

Target offers a four-person meal for under $20.

Walmart offers a meal for less than $40 that serves up to 10 people.