Texans Are Struggling To Cover Cost Of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is right around the corner in Texas, and we're in the middle of planning out the menu and picking up all the items we need for the big feast. Some will have extended family over while others will keep it to their immediate family.

In Texas though, I'd say it's a good chance we're leaning towards the latter. Rising food costs have been a huge concern for many in the state, and Thanksgiving is only heightening those fears and worries.

SumUp recently did a study about food costs, worries, and also honed in a focus on Thanksgiving dinner. Texas didn't exactly fare well in the study.

Before I get to the Thanksgiving portion of this, I want to highlight a couple of alarming stats I saw from this study.

The most shocking number I saw was how much it costs for food per person in Texas each month. The average was $286.64 PER PERSON each month. That's not eating out, that's eating at home with food from the grocery store.

I have a family of five, and while I've definitely felt the pinch at the grocery store, I never realized the cost was that high. Now that I look at it, I'd say that number isn't far off.

Another alarming stat was the food insecurity concerns in Texas. 15.5% of Texans say they have food insecurity, which is either worry about not being able to afford enough food or already depending on food banks and other places that help.

Now we delve into Thanksgiving. It's traditionally one of the most expensive meals of the year. The turkey alone can run you $40-50 if you don't get it when it's on sale. Thankfully that's what I did this year. I had to considering my wife's family is coming to town for the holiday. We needed two turkeys.

The average cost of Thanksgiving in Texas last year was just shy of $74. I mean, that's a pretty hefty amount for one meal, however, that amount was actually one of the LOWEST in the country last year.

Despite that, Texas struggles with covering the cost of the Thanksgiving meal. Out of 50 states, we checked in at number FOUR when it came to struggling to be able to afford the meal. That's a shocking stat considering we have one of the lowest costing Thanksgiving meals in the country.

The three states ahead of us? Well, they're the ones you'd expect. Alaska was number three while Hawaii checked in at number two. Makes sense considering the distance food has to travel to get to them.

Number one on the list? California, where everything is more expensive.