Editorial: A cheaper Thanksgiving, but no one’s feeling rich

What are your plans this Thanksgiving You ve almost certainly got the answer to that question locked down this close to the big day and if you re hosting you d better have your bird pretty well thawed Numerous of us are traveling to be with family AAA projects million more people will be traveling at least miles this Thanksgiving compared with last year for a record-setting voyage period But if you re hosting you ve got a lot on your plate literally and figuratively and you ve likely done a fair bit of budgeting as you figure out how to get enough food on the table For our part we were surprised to see headlines boasting that Thanksgiving dinner is relatively affordable this holiday season The American Farm Bureau calculated the cost to feed a table of is about this year down from in and in That makes sense when you consider that Amazon is selling -pound Butterball turkeys for Once you get the centerpiece dish the rest of the fixings can be bought relatively cheap and so we can see how that tab isn t so far-fetched after all if you re buying on a budget Of module there are higher-end more expensive birds but we re speaking in generalities and Butterball is a popular name brand this holiday season even if it s not everyone s first choice The AFB calculated the average price for a -pound turkey is about with rolls costing less than and sweet potatoes just for three pounds We ll stop there with the price inventory you get the idea Yet even after acknowledging the affordability of these staple items we re left wondering how it s doable that Thanksgiving is cheaper this year while so multiple Americans feel stretched thin In particular approaches the headlines heralding how reasonable it is to purchase your Thanksgiving meal could be viewed as a rediscovery Yes it s more affordable to cook your own food instead of eating or ordering out and goes a lot further at the grocery store than a restaurant Cooking from scratch remains one of the sparse places where families can beat inflation even while broader food prices remain uncomfortably high Food costs aren t dropping out of the headlines any time soon and groceries that used to be dirt cheap have jumped to jaw-dropping prices a bag of potato chips runs you nearly the present day compared with about before COVID Consumers don t measure inflation by holiday meals They measure it by grocery trips school lunches snacks and takeout Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper this year but it doesn t feel that way because the things we buy weekly snacks lunch out coffee convenience foods have increased so much that our baseline expectations are warped We aren t reacting to turkey prices we re reacting to the accumulated fatigue of two years of stubborn inflation Still even in a year marked by price fatigue it s worth highlighting bright spots Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper this year and that s something to be grateful for In a season when so much feels out of our control it s reassuring to know that gathering around a table and cooking for the people we love remains one of the insufficient traditions that hasn t been priced out of reach Chicago Tribune Tribune News System Editorial cartoon by Joe Heller Joe Heller