This Thanksgiving dinner cost calculator allows you take the generic Thanksgiving menu on this page and change the menu items or ingredients, their unit cost, quantity and even the sales tax rate, so you can quickly determine exactly how much your specific holiday dinner will cost. The table is pre-loaded with the typical items and their typical 2024 cost take from our annual cost of Thanksgiving dinner survey, which also has tips on how to save money! The default below is for 4 to 6 people with good appetites! The meal includes stuffing/dressing, gravy potatoes or sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, 1 nine-inch pie, and cranberry sauce. Our default is a 17 lb turkey, making a meal for 4 to 6 people, and leftovers, but you can change that and everything else for your own situation.
Change: To change an item either copy its name from the table or type it EXACTLY the same in the ingredient box below and enter the quantity and unit price.
Add: To add an item, simply enter the info in the boxes below.
Delete: To delete an item, click the delete button next to an item.
Print shopping list: When you get it just the way you like, click Ctrl-P or the print icon in your browser to print the shopping list! It will only print the essential list and a heading.
| Ingredient | Quantity | Unit Price | Item Subtotal | Delete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 17 | $1.04 | $17.68 | |
| Stuffing | 1 | $3.00 | $3.00 | |
| Potatoes | 1 | $4.29 | $4.29 | |
| Gravy | 1 | $1.79 | $1.79 | |
| Chicken Broth | 1 | $3.00 | $3.00 | |
| Cranberry Sauce | 2 | $1.50 | $3.00 | |
| Dinner rolls | 1 | $4.00 | $4.00 | |
| Green beans canned | 2 | $0.89 | $1.78 | |
| Cream Mushroom Soup | 2 | $1.25 | $2.50 | |
| Fried onions | 1 | $4.29 | $4.29 | |
| Pumpkin pie | 1 | $6.00 | $6.00 | |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | $10.00 | $10.00 |
Total Cost: $61.33
Sales Tax: $4.29
Total with Sales Tax: $65.62
Notes: Sales tax rate ONLY updates after you also update an ingredient (any ingredient), It's a weird quirk..
For comparison, here is what the Farm Bureau calculates for a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 in 2023: Seems far too little for 10 people and there certainly would not be any leftovers, unless you got a 20 lbs or larger turkey and more of everything else. It assumes you make the pies and cranberry sauce from scratch and have the eggs, sugar, butter, spices, etc. already.
Total : $61.17
You can also save money and make a MUCH better tasting dish without processed chemical, by making it yourself. And it is so easy with our recipes. These are by far the best and easiest:
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