Is Dining Out for Thanksgiving Really Cheaper than Grocery Prices?

Is Dining Out for Thanksgiving Really Cheaper than Grocery Prices?

I always get the realization that the holidays are approaching and that I'm going to be even poorer around this time of year. Yes, it's the time of year when family gathers for a Thanksgiving feast that none of us can afford any longer. The cost of food has increased dramatically. The cost of our turkeys appears to be out of control due to inflation.

So it made me smile when I learned that dining out on Thanksgiving Day would really be less expensive. Then I remember how much my uncle drinks and what a fussy eater my child is, and I realize what a costly dinner this is going to be.

I simply can not believe that these days eating out is less expensive than cooking a meal at home. Thanksgiving at a restaurant, according to a "New York Post", might be the "Smart money move" this year. Is it possible that's true?
They based it on a Wells Fargo analysis that revealed that while grocery prices have increased by 10% since last November, restaurant prices have only increased by 6%. . . and 15% for meals specifically for Thanksgiving.

In other words, everything is more expensive, from potatoes and turkey to bread and butter. But is dining out for Thanksgiving this year truly less expensive?

The good news is that it IS cheaper to cook at home. The bad news? Even that is way more expensive now. Even when your Thanksgiving food comes along with the no-tip required feature, it is still more expensive but will always be more affordable than eating out.

Even that is acknowledged in the Wells Fargo report, which claims that it doesn't make sense unless you're out to dinner with a few friends AND you're purely trying to avoid work. Cooking at home makes more sense as the number of people increases.

In other words, if you want to spare yourself time and hassle, it might make sense. But from a financial perspective, cooking at home is still far more affordable.
The Farm Bureau has not yet made available its annual statistics on Thanksgiving meal.

However, the cost of a typical supper in 2017 was $5.33 per person. So even if it doubled, which it won't, cooking at home would still be much less expensive.

Pass the Plum Pudding, Please, and Pass on the Guilt. Tips to Avoid Diet Stress This Holiday

Our favorite holidays are coming up as we approach the end of 2022. And that means, of course, indulging in rich and wonderful meals we typically don’t enjoy at any other time of the year. But for some us, anxiety about food and overeating can take the shine off the holiday.

Lee Health Registered Dietitian Ashley Lovetere weighs in with some practical advice and tips to help us make healthful food choices yet still enjoy indulge in our favorites foods—without feeling guilty.

All that social and media attention on gaining weight during the holidays? Ignore them. Stay off the scale, too. The holidays are not the time of year to monitor your weight every day. Your weight can go up and down by as much as five pounds in a single day because of sweating, breathing, using the bathroom, eating, and drinking, and more. It’s normal. Ignore the scale and enjoy time with friends, family and, most importantly, yourself!

Different diets work for different people. If someone tries to push a new fad diet while you’re in the middle of enjoying a meal, kindly change the subject. The topic may unintentionally make someone at the table feel guilty for what they are eating.

Don’t skip breakfast! When you start off Thursday’s big feast starving, you’re likely to overindulge and feel uncomfortable the rest of the day.

Don’t make any holiday foods off limits. Thanksgiving only comes once a year, don’t skip the foods you most enjoy because you think it’s “unhealthy.”

Fuel your body, get plenty of sleep and find time to engage in physical activities. If we deprive ourselves to instead serve others, we end up confusing our hunger and fullness cues, which can put us into mindless eating.

TOTAL TIME: Preparation: 15 minutes + chilling bake: 35 minutes 

YIELD: 9 servings. 

Ingredients 

Directions

TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes

YIELD: 4 servings

Ingredients

Directions

Great for leftover cranberries and walnuts

TOTAL TIME: Preparation: 30 minutes + standing cook: 15 minutes

YIELD: 8 servings.

Ingredients

Directions