How inflation could make your Thanksgiving meal and travel more expensive

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.

You have just a little over a week to get everything you need for the holiday meal.

But this year, you’re going to need to dig a little deeper into your wallet to get everything on that list.

Action News Jax Courtney Cole went to a local grocery store to see how inflation could impact your holiday grocery shopping.

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“Potato salad, if that’s not on the menu, it’s a done deal! And I can’t forget my daughter’s macaroni and cheese!”

Even under a mask, Cole could feel Dia Campbell’s excitement as she spoke to her about her favorite Thanksgiving dish.

Like Campbell, just about everyone has one Thanksgiving dish they’re looking forward to seeing at the table.

For Scottie Moses, it’s a dish you may not have thought of.

“A quiche and my mom actually makes that the best!” Moses said.

But this year, we all might have to pay a little more for the Thanksgiving meal.

“The turkey, the stuffing, some cranberries, potatoes, and I actually want to add in ham this year,” Moses explained to Action News Jax.

Prices for everyday items have risen by 6.2%, according to the Consumer Price Index in October, with food costs rising 5.3%. This is mainly driven by price hikes on meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

Campbell said she isn’t worried about how much it’s going to cost.

“Not really concerned, because it’s no getting around it.”

While Moses has another plan in mind: “I did recommend everybody bringing a side dish to make the dinner table look a little bit more full.”

Action News Jax went to a local grocery store to take a look at prices on some common Thanksgiving dinner items, including turkey, which ranged from 49 to 99 cents per pound, and ham, which could run you $1.39 to $2.29 per pound, based on the brand you choose.

According to the Department of Agriculture’s Turkey Report from the start of this month, whole, frozen turkeys between eight and 16 pounds already cost 25 cents a pound more than they did a year ago.

The ham and turkey we chose cost $76 — and that’s without the macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, yams, baked beans, cranberry sauce, milk and other items that may be on your list.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual survey, in 2020, the average cost of a Thanksgiving feast came in at $46.90 for 10 people. Their findings for 2021 are set to be released on Nov. 18.

But Moses said nothing can get in the way of his excitement about his family visiting from the Virgin Islands.

“It’s been a while since I’ve actually had the entire family around, so I’m actually really, really excited for that,” Moses said.

There are some things you can do to cut down on holiday meal costs though, like starting shopping early and looking for deals.

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Rising costs from inflation also mean some people are going to be figuring gas into their holiday costs.

According to AAA, 90% of people are traveling to family and friends by car this Thanksgiving.

Gas prices that cost over a dollar more per gallon this year compared to last year, are not a deterrent.

On Jacksonville’s southside on Monday, Coe observed that gas prices ranged from $3.12 to $3.19 per gallon.

“Gas prices have gone up a lot since I moved here!” Ashley George exclaimed.

These prices make Ashley George grateful she’s not driving to her Thanksgiving destination.

George said she’s going to be flying instead.

“My husband and I are going to Texas for the holidays. I miss home, I haven’t seen my mom in probably almost a year now,” George told Action News Jax Courtney Cole.

George said that when she first got to the River City, gas was $2 and some change.

“Now they’re up to like three dollars and something and I’m like, that is so crazy!”

But you don’t have to be new here to give those surging gas prices a second look.

Rising energy costs are to blame this time around — gasoline, natural gas and coal are all contributing to high inflation.

During a press briefing last Friday, questions were posed to the Biden administration about their lack of action on gas prices.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was “looking at every tool in our arsenal” and has also “communicated with the FTC to crack down on illegal pricing and are engaging with countries and entities abroad, like OPEC, on increasing supply.”

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While work continues behind the scenes, George said nothing is going to stop her from getting back to her mother’s dressing.

“I am so excited for the dressing! No one can make dressing like my mom! So I’m super excited for that!”

According to AAA, 53.4 million Americans will be hitting the road for Thanksgiving this year, a 13% increase from 2020.

Expect to pay more at the pump around Thanksgiving

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