As food prices increase, expect a more expensive Thanksgiving dinner

Your grocery receipts may be getting shorter but how much you spend is going up, and just in time for Thanksgiving.

WINK News reporter Andryanna Sheppard has been tracking grocery prices for months and has seen prices of just about everything go up.

Experts have been saying this Thanksgiving will be the most expensive yet, and strolling down the aisles, is sticker shock is enough to spoil your appetite.

A new report from the Labor Department shows everything on average cost 6.2% more in October 2021 than it did last October.

That’s the largest increase in 30 years.

And with bigger gatherings expected for Thanksgiving this year, grocery shopping could get costly.

Florida Gulf Coast University Associate Professor of Economics Victor Claar, Ph.D. said, “People are looking forward to getting back with their extended family just like they used to get together before the pandemic. So prices are up.”

Some of your staples went up this month too:

• A gallon of milk at Publix went up 10 cents, to $4.29.
• An 18-count carton of eggs at Target went up 70 cents, to $2.39.
• Nature’s Own butter bread at Walmart actually went down 16 cents to $2.82.

Nationwide, the USDA says the average price of a frozen whole turkey is $1.39 a pound. That’s nearly 25 cents more than last year.

However, at a local Publix and Walmart we spotted turkeys ranging from 49 cents a pound to just under $1 – and there were enough birds to go around.

“The good news is most people only need one Thanksgiving bird,” Clarr explained. “And so, it’s not like they’re going to buy six so that the next five people don’t get one.”

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, experts recommend making it a potluck and having your guests bring a dish to help cut your costs.