BUFFALO, N.Y. — With two weeks to go until Turkey Day, you're probably in planning mode if you'll be preparing any part of your family's Thanksgiving meal.
Experts say you should be prepared to spend a larger part of your budget on your turkey this year, with prices up about 10% over last year.
"The avian flu, we lost about 60 million birds, but turkeys are just a small piece of it," said Jack Ampuja of Supply Chain Optimizers.
"There's obviously been a big push to raise pay checks for people on the farm. So there's a whole bunch of input costs that have gone up, and I think the flocks have pretty well recovered that there's enough supply, but maybe the birds won't be quite as big as in the past. So, those are all factors," Ampuja said.
Ampuja says other than turkey, you can also expect to pay more for bread and eggs this year, but prices on vegetables are a little more stable.
He also says getting a package deal from a grocery store is a good way to save money on the total cost of your Thanksgiving meal.
Target is selling a dinner for four that includes a 10 pound turkey, potatoes and other sides for $25. Walmart has options that will serve from 3 people for less than 20 dollars and up to 18 people for under $30.
Ampuja says if you're willing to skip the Thanksgiving turkey altogether, you can save some money by serving ham instead. Ham prices are up only 1% over last year.