How Much Your Fellow WNYC Listeners Are Spending on Thanksgiving
The Brian Lehrer Show | Nov 25, 2013
This weekend, our friends at "On The Media" reported on how news outlets love to hype that Thanksgiving dinner is getting more and expensive every year. Turns out, though, it's not really. Let's crowdsource the cost of Thanksgiving -- what are the major expenses for you this year? Is it more costly than in the past?
A Smattering of Thanksgiving Expenses
From our highly unscientific call-in, we generally learned that people do't skimp on Thanksgiving. Some highlights:
- One caller spends $80 on an organic, free-range turkey. Yes, he knows that's very expensive, but it's worth it to him.
- Another caller staring at his $298 Fairway bill: "We splurged on a lot of fancy cheese...I can't say we skimped on anything with a bill that big."
- Three different callers reported spending around $300 for 12 people. Is $25 a person about right, including alcohol?
- One hidden expense for some families: flying your kids home from college. Fold in baggage fees, change fees, more, and transportation far outweighs the food.
- Our favorite exchange this show. Ben, spent only $58 on 12 people by hunting his own bird. Brian asks: "Where do you hunt for a turkey around here anyway?" Ben's answer? "The woods." Good to know, Ben!
