The average price of a 10-person Thanksgiving meal has hovered around $49 for the past seven years, according to Statista.
That amount doesn’t include alcoholic drinks, creative desserts or extra side dishes, just the basics like turkey, stuffing, potatoes, rolls, vegetables, cranberries and pumpkin pie.
Even the cost of the basics can soar with the average price of a 16-pound turkey hovering around $22.
And that’s before you stuff it and season it.
Curt Rotrock, store director at Lucky's Market in St. Petersburg, recommends searching for savings in the weekly ads, especially for canned items and holiday-specific items.
Certain items like celery, stuffing mix, some seasonings and canned items are at a "hot price" throughout the holiday season because people don't normally buy them year around, Rotrock said.
Good news -- there are easier, cheaper ways to stuff your turkey and yourself for Thanksgiving. And, you can do it for under $40.
Here’s our shopping list for a Thanksgiving meal for $40 or less.
Turkey: $20
Boxed stuffing: $1.99
Family size bag of potatoes: $1.99
Jar of gravy: $2.12
Can of corn or green beans: $1.43
Can of cranberry sauce: $1.79
Can of pumpkin puree: $1.89
40 oz can of yams: $2.50
Whipped topping: $1.69
Pie crust: $2.75
Instant pudding mix: 99 cents
Total without turkey: $19.14
Total with turkey: $39.14
This list assumes you already have cooking staples like seasonings, butter and milk.
Turkey
It might require some planning and shopping around, but it’s possible to find a whole turkey for under $20.
Turkey prices per pound are also expected to fall in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, so shop around for the best deals.
If you’re looking to save money and not cook a whole turkey, try an extra-thick sliced turkey breast from your local deli. It’s even better if you can buy the kind where the skin is left on.
You can also grab a smaller turkey breast for about 3-5 pounds and make it in a slow cooker. Here's how we did it.
Potatoes
There are two ways to do this: Slow cooker taters or boxed ones made in a microwave.
A 5-pound bag of whole white potatoes costs around $2.97, and a family size bag of instant potatoes costs $1.99. The slow cooker version will get you closest to the traditional kinda that’s boiled on a stove top and mashed, but the microwave version could save you some money and time.
For the slow cooker: Toss potatoes, butter, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add a cup of water, then cook on high for about 4 hours or until the potatoes are tender.
Then, add sour cream and 1 ½ cups warm milk to the potatoes. Mash the potatoes with a masher until mostly smooth. Add whatever mix-ins and toppings you’d like. We recommend crumbled bacon and topped with chives. Full recipe here from the Food Network.
For the microwave: Follow the bag’s directions for cooking and serving. Jazz up the dish by adding chive and onion flavored cream cheese and bacon crumbles.
Corn
To keep it basic and the lowest cost, simply heat up canned corn and top it with butter, salt and pepper.
Chef Michael Moench with Keiser University recommends creating what he and his friends call “cheesy corn goodness” by combining a can of cream corn, a can of sweet corn, a cup of elbow macaroni, a cup of Velveeta cheese, some chopped onions and butter in a slow cooker.
You’ll cook the dish for about 45 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Moench recommends heating up the slow cooker ahead of time to speed up the process.
Stuffing
Follow the instructions on the box for preparing in the microwave, but spruce up the dish with onions, celery and poultry seasoning or diced apples and cranberries. Sub out some or all of the water, in the instructions, with chicken or vegetable stock for even more flavor.
Cranberry sauce
Pop open a can of that jiggly cranberry jelly you can buy for a dollar. It’s the American way, and it’s only $1.79.
Pumpkin pie
Opt for a no-bake pumpkin pudding pie instead of the traditional one made in an oven.
Here’s how to get this no-bake pie whipped up in about 10 minutes.
Ingredients
1 cup pumpkin puree ($1.89)
1 3.4-ounce box of instant vanilla pudding ($ .99)
¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
8 ounces of whipped topping ($1.69)
1 9-inch graham cracker crust ($2.75)
Extra whipped cream for serving (optional, $3.99)
Instructions
Combine pumpkin puree, pudding mix, milk and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until smooth.
Carefully fold in Cool Whip. Don’t overmix.
Spread pumpkin mixture in the prepared crust. Chill at least three hours or until it is set firm. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of leftover pumpkin pie spice.
Recipe adapted from Crazy for Crust.
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