Turkey
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How much will it cost this year to put on your Thanksgiving spread in Shreveport Bossier? The prices haven't changed much from a year ago.

What's on the table will determine how much you will spend. The traditional Thanksgiving menu has turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, a couple of vegetable casseroles and some rolls. Desserts are also a part of the meal, with pumpkin or pecan pie at the top of the list. You might be surprised how little a Thanksgiving meal will cost. But it does take some time to prepare.

The turkey is always the biggest expense of a Thanksgiving meal. With the price of gas down this year, you will probably find pretty good prices on turkeys. Several stores in Shreveport Bossier are selling the birds for .39 cents a pound.

In bigger cities, turkeys run more than $1.00 per pound on average. Locally, you will probably spend about 10 bucks for a good sized turkey.

Prices for the other staples are pretty inexpensive this year too. Potatoes and vegetables for your casseroles are not so costly. Sweet potato prices are also reasonable right now. The same goes for cranberry sauce.

The American Farm Bureau Each does a report on the average cost of the feast each year. For 2015, you will pay about $5.00 a person to put on the spread. The AFB report generally figures the costs for a meal that feeds 10 people. The menu includes turkey and all the trimmings -- peas, potatoes, pumpkin pie, stuffing, cranberries, rolls, and staple items like butter and milk.

The average cost of a Thanksgiving meal in 2008 for 10 people was $44.61, about $4.50 per person. But that number is up to nearly $50 dollars this year which brings the average per person to $5. Last year, the price was about $49.41 and two years ago, it was $49.04.

Good prices on turkeys will be offset by highter prices for butter and other dairy products.

"Turkey production has been somewhat lower this year and wholesale prices are a little higher," AFBF deputy chief economist John Anderson said in a statement, "but consumers should find an adequate supply of birds at their local grocery store."

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