The Average Thanksgiving Dinner Should Cost Less Than 50 Bucks

The American Farm Bureau Federation just released their annual study on how much it should cost to serve Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people, and they say we can do it for $49.41.  How can this be?

They tell us the breakdown is less than $5 per person.  Immediately I see the wine is missing from their tally.  And Mama might need a glass.

Here's what the American Farm Bureau says about how much Thanksgiving dinner should cost:

A 16-pound turkey, $21.65.

14 ounces of stuffing, $2.54.

Three pounds of sweet potatoes, $3.56.

12 ounces of fresh cranberries, $2.34.

12 rolls, $2.17.

One pound of peas, $1.55.

One pound of carrots and celery, plus other miscellaneous ingredients, $4.30.

A gallon of milk, $3.76.

Two pie shells, 30 ounces of pumpkin pie mix, and a half pint of whipped cream, $7.54.

They've kept the menu the same since 1986 so the price comparisons are the same.  All those years ago you could feed 10 people a Thanksgiving dinner for $28.74, so the price has gone up a lot.  But it's stayed steady since 2011.  It seems they're missing some extras that might add at least $10.  Like butter and nutmeg and such.  But we might be able to ax the carrots.

I'm in charge of bringing stuffing next week, and a big tub of vanilla bean ice cream for the pies.  Bring on the premeditated over-eating!  One thing though.  Can we stop calling it "stuffing?"  It makes me think of the inside of a teddy bear.

Happy Thanksgiving!