Thanksgiving is less than three weeks away, and many of you will likely start planning your feast soon.
With trips to the grocery store and gas station costing more for some of you these days, you might be craving ways to do some trimming to your holiday budget.
But what is going to take the biggest bite out of your Thanksgiving budget?
“In terms of items that will be more expensive this year, almost certainly vegetables. Especially fresh vegetables,” said Tulane University business professor Mark Ratchford.
Ratchford says food in general costs more than last year because of things like rising fuel prices and tariffs.
This year, he’s also tracking steeper sweet potatoes, up by about 20% and impacted, he says, by weather-related supply shortages.
Plus, you’ve likely had sticker shock for ground beef.
But Chef Kalen Gray with the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute does have several strategies to help feed your wallet.
“My advice would be to get canned sweet potatoes or a sweet potato puree, depending on what you’re using it for,” Gray said. “Skip the fresh ones right now, those fresh vegetables are definitely on the rise right now.”
That’s why he says you can also swap in frozen veggies. Plus, taking a shortcut may help you save in the long run.
“Cranberries right now are very expensive. Cranberries are up 15% right now for fresh cranberries, so my suggestion is you can get frozen cranberries, but fresh cranberries are up 15%, so I would suggest getting that canned cranberry dressing rather than trying to make it fresh,” Gray said.
But perhaps the biggest way to gobble up the deals, he says, is to go into the grocery with a game plan.
“Go in with a strategy, go in with a menu set out, go in with how many people are coming as well. Don’t go in creating a ghost guest to create more and buy more because you think extra people are coming,” Gray said.
And when Thanksgiving is all said and done, don’t forget about your leftovers. If you store them in an airtight container, they can last several days. Plus, you can even use your turkey down to the carcass to make a homemade stock for gumbo.
READ MORE:Feast For Less: How to trim your Thanksgiving budget
