Average Thanksgiving dinner price drops 44 cents

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mattie Williams already has idea of what's going to be on her table for Thanksgiving dinner. That's why she and her husband, Jimmy, were at a Walmart Supercenter more than a week early looking for low prices.

"Things are so high, and when it seems like you've got a deal you go for it," Mattie said. "So it seems like this one is a deal."

This year Thanksgiving dinner will be more of a deal than ever. According to the American Farm Bureau Federations annual survey, the average price of Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people this year is $49.04. That's 44 cents lower than last year.

Frances King says any money saved is good.

"I'm a truck driver, so I'm on the road a lot. I really can't afford a bunch," King said. "So I'm just happy it's gone down. We've got a bunch to feed."

Turkeys saw the biggest price drop, going down 3 cents a pound, or 47 cents overall compared to last year. Other items that saw price decreases: cranberries, rolls, stuffing, pie shells and whipped cream.

Not everything on your Thanksgiving meal list went down this year. The price of whole milk rose. Thanksgiving favorites like sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie mix went up.

But Walmart store manager Willie Walker said with incentives like price matching and accepting buy-one-get-one-free deals from other grocery stores in Florida, Walmart hopes to make Thanksgiving even more affordable for customers.

"We look at those items that's been very common for our customers on a year-in and year-out, and we look at making sure that we have the best pricing," Walker said.

Experts say the credit for the drop goes to stable commodity and food prices, which drove the prices people pay at the store.

Whatever the reason, shoppers say its just one more thing to be thankful for.