Potluck Thanksgiving? Northeast Ohio families get creative to cut Thanksgiving costs

CLEVELAND — As many Northeast Ohio families load up their carts for Thanksgiving, the rising cost of groceries is becoming harder to ignore.

"I’ve noticed prices going up slowly but surely over the last 6 months or so,” TJ Smith says.

With prices climbing, some families are turning to holiday traditions that stretch both the meal and the budget. Smith said his family has made cost-cutting part of their celebration.

"We all have a tradition of making a specific dish. One person makes mac and cheese. One person makes the turkey [and] one person makes the ham,” Smith said.

For many, potluck-style Thanksgiving dinners are more than just convenient; they’re becoming an economic strategy.

"Usually, when I’m cooking for myself, it’s over $100. But since we’re doing it this way, it saves a lot of money for everybody,” said Bernadette Pace, who brings her German chocolate cake each year.

Consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch said many families are feeling similar financial pressure.

Woroch said a study from Bread Financial found that 24% of consumers plan to go into debt to afford the holiday.

She said there are ways to avoid overspending. Swapping fresh produce for frozen can cut costs, especially when ingredients will be baked or added to casseroles.

"Since you’re baking these, throwing them in a casserole, a quiche, maybe an omelet, you really don’t need them fresh,” Woroch said.

Store brands can also offer significant savings.

"They are single-ingredient items that a name brand can’t produce any differently than the store brand. So why pay more for the fancy packaging?” Woroch said.

And when it comes to dessert, she said buying pies rather than making them from scratch could be the cheaper option since crusts and fillings add up quickly.

Weekly Price Tracker

Each week, we’ll visit Meijer, Giant Eagle, Aldi, Walmart, Heinen's and Dave's Market, checking prices on everyday essentials.

Those include: 2% milk, a loaf of wheat bread, chicken price per pound, ground beef tray or patty per pound (80% lean 20% fat), 12 dozen white eggs and toasted oats cereal.

If you're willing to shop around, you can snag even deeper discounts on meat, dairy, and pantry goods.

We’re also giving you a chance to see how your favorite stores stack up week to week. We’ll compare how grocery prices change at each store on a weekly basis.

Here's how prices compare across stores this week:

Meijer 

Giant Eagle 

Aldi

Walmart

Heinen’s

Dave's Market

From buy-one-get-one-free meat deals to cereal under $2, our Don’t Waste Your Money team will be keeping an eye on store shelves and sharing what we find.

Find a better deal? We want to hear from you! Submit your finds through the form below. If you beat our prices, we’ll feature them.

And if you’re a savvy shopper, always chasing the best deals, we may even join you on your next grocery run.