BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Thanksgiving grocery prices are rising across the country, but Californians continue to feel the increase more than most. According to the California Farm Bureau, the state has some of the highest grocery costs nationally.
To see what Thanksgiving shoppers can expect here in Bakersfield, I visited two local stores and priced out the essentials.
My assignment, courtesy of my news director James, was simple: find the cheapest Thanksgiving groceries.
I began at Blue Fig Farms, a family-owned Mediterranean market. The first item on our list was a 16-pound turkey. Nationally, the average cost is $21.56, while California’s average price climbs to $29.72. But Blue Fig Farms carries only Halal turkeys, making it difficult to compare directly, so I continued down the list to find the rest of the meal’s staples.
Despite the turkey mismatch, I found several key ingredients:
- Stuffing: $3.99
- Cranberry sauce: $2.99
- Unsalted whipped butter: $3.45
- Whole milk: $2.99 (not something I can enjoy—I’m lactose intolerant)
- Sweet potatoes: $0.99 each
- Frozen peas: $3.49
Some items on our Thanksgiving checklist—pumpkin pie mix, dinner rolls, and a ready-made pie—weren’t available at Blue Fig Farms. Still, the total for what the store did offer came to $17.80.
To complete the list, I headed to FoodMaxx, a store many online shoppers claim has some of the cheapest turkey prices in Bakersfield. But when I arrived, the turkey prices were higher than expected, ranging from $30 to $41 depending on weight. The average price landed around $35.
After grabbing the remaining items, my FoodMaxx total came to $42.97 for four items.
Thanksgiving Price Breakdown
- Bakersfield average for 10 Thanksgiving items: $60.77
- California statewide average: $66.32
- National average for a Thanksgiving meal: $50.21
How to Save
Experts recommend planning ahead, making a list, and sticking to a budget to keep Thanksgiving costs under control this year.
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