How consumers are cutting costs this Thanksgiving

As grocery prices rise this holiday season, consumers are trying to give thanks without breaking the bank.

According to a NielsenIQ survey, 58% of consumers are “extremely concerned” about high grocery prices this Thanksgiving. As a result, a quarter of households will buy more private label products, with 31% opting for them over national brands and only 5% of consumers prioritizing serving national brands for Thanksgiving.

Consumers will also save $$ by hosting smaller celebrations, shopping at discount retailers, and serving fewer side dishes (RIP, green bean casserole). Even as prices continue to rise, NIQ found turkey or another main protein remain the top non-negotiable Thanksgiving item, followed, of course, by dessert.

However, according to a recent Empower survey, 47% of consumers are willing to swap their bird for a cheaper option—38% said they would opt for roasted chicken instead. Almost half of consumers are cutting down on pricey spices, and 30% are considering nixing the traditional meal altogether for burgers, pizza, or fast food.

As they plan their menus, about a third will use AI to score deals and design a budget-conscious menu, while 45% will use it to compare prices across retailers.

Done meal: Several grocers are offering Thanksgiving meal deals this year to help consumers plan an inexpensive spread. Lidl introduced a 10-person Thanksgiving meal for $36—$10 less than its offering last year—which it’s touting as the lowest per-person cost among retailers this year. Aldi’s $40, 10-person meal, which spans 21 products, is also $7 cheaper than last year’s. After offering a six-person meal under $30 last year, Amazon is selling a similarly priced $25 Thanksgiving meal for five.

Walmart rolled out its fourth, “most affordable,” edition of its Thanksgiving Meal Basket featuring a 10-person meal for under $40. After dropping its four-person meal price from $25 to $20 last year, Target is marketing an “under $20” offering. When Retail Brew price-checked some of these offerings across several locations nationwide, Walmart’s meal consistently came out to about $39.88 or less, while Target’s varied by location, coming in at just over $19 in some locations and just over $21 in others.

+1: While money is clearly top-of-mind for consumers planning their Thanksgiving meal this year, Empower found that the majority of consumers think conversations about money should, ironically, be off the table on Thanksgiving.