Holiday dinner will gobble up more dollars

The pace of rises for broader consumer prices in the United States eased somewhat last month — but not for food. And that may affect how heartily some people celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday next week.

The news came as Republicans won slim control of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, with the party securing 218 seats in the 435-seat chamber, according to The Associated Press tally.

Retail sales in the United States climbed 1.3 percent in October, according to data released on Wednesday by the US Census Bureau.

AP VoteCast, a broad survey of the national electorate, showed that high inflation and concerns about the fragility of democracy had heavily influenced voters.

Half of the voters said inflation factored significantly, with groceries, gasoline, housing, food and other costs that have shot up in the past year. Some 44 percent of the respondents said the future of democracy was their primary consideration.

Thanksgiving dinner on Nov 24 will cost the average person in the US 20 percent more this year compared with in 2021, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation's 2022 survey released on Wednesday.

In 2021, a Thanksgiving meal for 10 cost $53.31, according to the AFBF survey. This year, the average cost for a 10-person Thanksgiving is $64.05 nationwide.

"General inflation slashing the purchasing power of consumers is a significant factor contributing to the increase in average cost of this year's Thanksgiving dinner," said AFBF Chief Economist Roger Cryan.

"The higher retail turkey cost at the grocery store can also be attributed to a slightly smaller flock this year, increased feed costs and lighter processing weights," Cryan said.

The cost of the classic Thanksgiving meal was the most affordable in the South ($58.42), followed by the Northeast ($64.02), Midwest ($64.26), and West ($71.37).

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers checked prices for meals from Oct 18-31, a few weeks before most grocery stores start sale promotions for whole, frozen turkeys.

In early November, Hays Culbreth's mother polled a few family members on Thanksgiving dinner, he told CBS News. She said she could afford to make only two sides for their group of 15 and asked them to vote for their favorites.

According to a survey by The Vacationer website, two-thirds of people are feeling the pinch of inflation when it comes to their Thanksgiving plans.

The survey found that 24.73 percent said they would be affected by higher food costs. The increased cost of travel due to higher gasoline prices or airfares was cited by 16.75 percent. And 25.02 percent mentioned both increased food and travel costs.

Agencies contributed to this story.