5. Cubed Stuffing, 14 oz.
> 2010 price: $2.64
> 2011 price: $2.88
> Price change: $0.24
> Pct. change: 9.1%
Like most traditional Thanksgiving dishes, stuffing, or dressing, comes in many varieties. In the south, they use day old white bread and cornbread mixed with celery, onion and sausage. Other variations even add oysters to the mix. The traditional cubed stuffing usually consists of toasted bread, chicken broth and onions, all of which have increased in price in the past year. Spring onions, in particular, more than doubled in price.
4. Milk, 1 Gallon Whole
> 2010 price: $3.24
> 2011 price: $3.66
> Price change: $0.42
> Pct. change: 12.9%
For the kids sitting at the Thanksgiving dinner table, nothing is better than a cool glass of milk. According to the National Dairy Council, “Children ages 2 – 8 are encouraged to consume two cups of milk or equivalent milk products each day, as recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” The cost of a gallon of milk is up 12.9% from last year.
3. Whipping Cream, 0.5 pints
> 2010 price: $2.62
> 2011 price: $3.03
> Price change: $0.41
> Pct. change: 15.2%
No pumpkin pie is complete without a hefty dollop of whipped cream. The price of milk has nearly doubled since 2009. A half-pint of whipping cream, according to the survey, costs $0.41 more than it did last year. That amounts to a 15.2% increase.
2. Pumpkin Pie Mix, 30-oz.
> 2010 price: $2.62
> 2011 price: $3.03
> Price change: $0.41
> Pct. change: 15.6%
It was a bad season for American-grown pumpkins. Generally damp conditions and terrible storms — including the disastrous Hurricane Irene a few months ago — have decimated parts of the Northeast’s crop. Partially as a result, the cost of two 15-oz. cans of pumpkin pie mix is up $0.41, more than a 15% increase.
1. Turkey, 16-lb.
> 2010 price: $17.66
> 2011 price: $21.57
> Price change: $3.91
> Pct. change: 22.1%
According to the USDA, 248 million turkeys were raised in the U.S. this year, 4 million more than last year. The largest percentage of these birds was raised in Minnesota, which produced 46.5 million turkeys this year. Despite the increase in production, the cost of a single 16-pound bird is up by nearly $4, or 22%, from 2010.
Michael B. Sauter
