Can you host a large family gathering this Thanksgiving for $40? According to Lidl and Aldi, you absolutely can.
The budget grocers both announced meal deals this week that include a 16-pound turkey, sides and dessert for 10 people.
Aldi’s bundle costs $38.66 and Lidl’s comes in at $35.86. While some items are in stores now, the entire list won’t be available at either brand until November 11, the companies said.
“Thanksgiving shouldn't require a calculator or a coupon strategy,” Aldi CEO Atty McGrath said.
The meal deals will be a welcome reprieve for many Americans this holiday as the cost of groceries, including Thanksgiving favorites like turkey and ham, have outpaced inflation in the past year.
Turkeys are up 8 percent compared to last year, according to federal inflation data. Ham costs around 5 percent more than this time in 2025. Fresh vegetables and potatoes are more expensive, too.
The meal bundles at Aldi and Lidl are considerably lower than other grocery stores’ advertised deals:
- Fresh Market: $109.99 for 10 people
- Sprouts: $89.99 for six people
- Sam’s Club: Under $160 for 16 people.
Aldi and Lidl’s deals also come in at least $15 lower than the average cost of a basic Thanksgiving meal in 2025, according to agricultural industry advocate the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Consumers have had a rough go of affordability in 2026. September inflation rose to its highest point in three years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.
Gas prices were $1.27 higher Thursday than a year ago, with consumers in California, Hawaii, Nevada and Washington paying on average at least $5 per gallon, according to motor club AAA. Overall, gas prices the first week of October were the highest on record.
Those figures don’t bode well for Thanksgiving travel either. Flights are 31 percent more expensive than in 2025, according to recent analysis from travel company Hopper. The average round-trip ticket for Thanksgiving travel is $402, Hopper said.
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