Thanksgiving Dinner for Twenty Dollars? Walmart Says Yes

A twenty dollar Thanksgiving dinner for eight? Seem impossible? Not according to the latest info from Walmart. Starting today, they are featuring a complete $20 Thanksgiving dinner for eight people, including all the usual fixings you'd expect -from turkey to stuffing to vegetables and dessert.

Could this be the Thanksgiving dinner deal of the 2009 season? Possibly, especially when you factor in the usual time and money spent on shopping for a turkey dinner, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix and/or homemade pumpkin pie (or other dessert) elsewhere.

Besides, with Walmart's inexpensive Thanksgiving dinner price, you'd be able to add some of your favorite homemade extras and still come up with a downright inexpensive Thanksgiving dinner, perhaps saving enough money to put towards Christmas gifts. I'd add pumpkin pie - along with the pumpkin roll offered by Walmart- and perhaps some other desserts and an extra side dish or two.

Walmart's $20 Thanksgiving Dinner Deal - the Details

Clearly, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes a turkey. But Walmart also throws in much more. In addition to a twelve pound Grade A turkey, shoppers can buy three 11 to 15.5 ounce cans of Green Giant vegetables, two cans of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, three six ounce boxes of Stove Top stuffing, one five pound bag of potatoes, a twelve count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls and a 22 ounce pumpkin roll cake - all for that twenty dollar price!

Walmart's Twenty Dollar Thanksgiving Dinner - Adding Variety to the Mix

The savings are definitely attractive. Even better, the Green Giant vegetables and the bag of potatoes could be used in a variety of Thanksgiving menus or recipes. I could easily make my mother's traditional mashed potatoes and the Green Giant vegetables could simply be opened and heated with some butter and seasonings (if a simple meal is desired) or added to another recipe.

From personal experience, I know Stove Top stuffing mix can easily be tailored to suit personal tastes (yes, I confess to having served Stove Top stuffing at a Thanksgiving dinner or two - or three).

Of course, any extra ingredients or side dishes will raise that twenty dollar price tag but it could still be a great deal to start out with Walmart's Turkey Day dinner ingredients. Another way of adding variety? Have guests bring along an extra dessert or salad. How easy is that?

How Do Walmart Thanksgiving Turkey Prices Compare to Previous Years?

According to an American Farm Bureau Survey , a sixteen pound turkey cost $19.09 last year, about $1.19 a pound. Walmart's Turkey is only 40 cents per pound! True, Walmart's Thanksgiving turkey is a twelve pounder rather than a sixteen pounder, but still a Grade A turkey.

A twelve pound turkey, in my experience, can serve a fair number of people. No matter how you slice your turkey, Walmart is offering a complete meal for eight for a little more than that sixteen pound turkey alone cost last year. This could really help a family stretch their holiday budget and comes at a perfect time - with a rough economy.

How will Families Spend any Money Saved on Thanksgiving Dinner ?

If past years are any indication, they'll shop sales to get their Christmas shopping done well before Thanksgiving. Some stores, including Walmart and Sears, are already offering Black Friday prices. Maybe they'll put it towards stretching their Christmas food budgets or buy holiday toys or other gifts. Maybe they'll even purchase some of the television sets, prices recently slashed, offered by Walmart. In any case, Walmart's twenty dollar Thanksgiving Dinner is well worth checking out.

Sources:
Classic Thanksgiving Dinner Still Affordable, American Farm Bureau, November 13 here
From Turkeys to Televisions, Walmart Announces New Savings on Thanksgiving Meal Favorites and Electronics, Nov. 4, 2009 here
Walmart Cuts Turkey, TV Prices to Grab Holiday Sales, Bloomberg, Nov. 4 here