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In this week’s edition:
Thanksgiving might actually save you a few bucks.
The shutdown is over, but the showdown isn’t.
Farewell to the humble penny.
Nerdy money tips.
TikTok shopping – not your mother’s QVC.
In case you missed it.
Elsewhere in money news:
President Trump promises $2K tariff rebate checks by mid-2026.
AI music is spreading, and now an AI-generated country song has reached #1 in the U.S. (ABC News)
A judge says Meta isn’t an illegal monopoly. (CNN)
RIP Department of Education. (CNBC)
Nvidia third quarter earnings came in better-than-expected amid AI bubble fears. (Nvidia)
Inflation news
Thanksgiving won’t gobble as much of your money this year
Pulling together a classic Thanksgiving spread can take a toll on your nerves, your culinary skills and your budget. So it’s a good thing at least one of those may be getting a break.
After years of inflation pushing grocery budgets to the brink, shoppers could see a moderate decrease in Thanksgiving costs this year, according to a new report this week from the American Farm Bureau Federation. The cost of a typical Thanksgiving dinner is estimated to be $55.18 this year — that’s about 5% less than last year.
What’s behind the Thanksgiving price drops
So how is Thanksgiving getting cheaper while food inflation is still up 3% overall, according to the latest consumer price index (CPI) figures? It’s simple: Items like beef and eggs are primarily driving higher grocery bills but aren’t traditional players in your holiday menu.
Thanksgiving dinner costs are seeing their third-straight year of annual decline, but that said, prices are still higher now than they were before they hit a record high in 2022.
Yup, turkey costs less this year
Prices for the ubiquitous holiday bird are easing up after years of avian flu ravaging the bird population. Wholesale prices remain high, according to Purdue University agricultural economists, but retailers are offering steep discounts to shoppers.
The Farm Bureau’s estimates show a significant decrease, year-over-year: It says a 16-pound turkey will cost an average of $21.50 this year, down 16% from 2024.
Mixed bag for side dishes
Meanwhile, prices for several of the usual side dishes are down, including cubed stuffing, fresh cranberries and dinner rolls. For dessert, pumpkin pie mix and pie shells are holding steady, compared to 2024.
But five others are pricier: sweet potatoes, frozen green peas, a veggie tray of carrots and celery, whole milk and whipping cream.
Consider outsourcing your meal prep
If you want to skip a la carte ingredients altogether, several grocers are offering bundles: The best deals are at Aldi and Walmart, both offering $40 dinners for 10 people, while Target offers a $20 meal for four. For bigger groups — or bigger appetites — other retailers offer heat-and-serve packages, but you’ll pay more for the convenience: Whole Foods is offering a $169.99 meal for 8 or $399.99 for 12, while Harry and David will ship you a meal at $269.99 for 8-10 people.
Expert tips to keep your feast affordable
To keep your holiday meal bill in check, NerdWallet writer and spokesperson Kim Palmer shares her tips for planning a bougie Thanksgiving dinner on a budget. And personal finance writer Tommy Tindall has more tips for saving money on groceries all year long.
- Anna Helhoski
Your latest listen
Thanksgiving Savings You’ll Actually Notice
News writer Anna Helhoski joins Smart Money host Elizabeth Ayoola to unpack why the cost of a classic Thanksgiving dinner is down this year and how to shop smart for the expanded table. They cover where prices fell and rose across the holiday menu, what turkey deals and meal bundles at places like Aldi, Walmart and Target could mean for your budget, and why recently reduced food tariffs may take time to show up on store shelves.
Listen to the latest episode on these platforms:
• Spotify
• Overcast
• Stitcher
The shutdown is over. What happens next?
Photo by Tom Brenner/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The longest shutdown in U.S. history finally ended last week, but that doesn’t mean everything is purring along yet. Think of it like a car that’s been buried under a snowdrift for a week; it’s going to take a few turns of the key and some warming up to get the wheels turning again.
Hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal employees began going back to work last Thursday, joining hundreds of thousands more who worked without pay through the 43-day impasse. As we speak, full SNAP payments are beginning to flow to recipients again, national park staffs are coming back to work, forms are being processed and data is being collected.
Those federal workers are starting to get paid again, including backpay. But it’s been a trial for them to get through without a paycheck, as it has been for many federal contractors.
And guess what? It could start all over again early next year.
Next funding deadline: Jan. 30
The latest deal to reopen the government fully funds a handful of departments through next September, but most of the funding approved is only temporary, ending Jan. 30. Before then, a divided Congress needs to either pass a full slate of appropriations bills or another set of stopgap measures, called continuing resolutions.
Nerdy tip: Shutdown gamesmanship is a permanent feature of budget talks in D.C. Personal finance writer Kate Ashford walks through how to prepare for the next shutdown if you’re likely to be directly affected — though following these tips can help anyone build a buffer against a sudden financial setback.
- Rick VanderKnyff
Nerdy money tips
Make extra money without a traditional side gig. Passive income is money you earn without actively working. Think wrapping your car in ads or operating a vending machine. Learn more from NerdWallet writer Alana Benson.
Pick a target goal for your emergency fund. Saving three to six months' worth of your current living expenses is a good rule of thumb. Use NerdWallet’s calculator to see how much you should sock away.
- Courtney Neidel
Stop making cents
Historical photo via the Library of Congress, George Grantham Bain Collection
The release of the Lincoln penny in 1909 was an event.
Released in the centennial year of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, its design was kept secret until its release to build public anticipation. It worked. When the coin came out, it was met with lines around banks and Treasury buildings.
Part of its appeal: It was the first U.S. coin to bear the likeness of a known person, living or dead. The Coinage Act of 1792 not only created the U.S. Mint and laid the groundwork for our currency system, but it also dictated that the face of U.S. coins should bear “an impression emblematic of liberty.”
But there was a lot of interest in Lincoln in 1909, enough to persuade lame duck President Theodore Roosevelt to authorize the design of a penny in his honor. He could do that without going through Congress because the existing Indian Head penny design (introduced in 1859) had been in place more than the required 25 years.
Lincoln set a precedent
Despite some early design and production glitches, the new penny was a huge hit, and over the course of the century paved the way for followers like the familiar Jefferson nickel, (Franklin) Roosevelt dime and Washington quarter.
And while the back of the Lincoln cent has had a couple of major makeovers (from the original stalks of wheat to the Lincoln Memorial in 1959, and then to the union shield in 2010), the “heads” side of the coin has scarcely changed in its 116-year history. In fact, it holds the record for the longest-lived U.S. coin design.
End of an era
Its streak came to an end this month as the very last one-cent coins were struck in Philadelphia, undone by executive order. A small number of Lincoln pennies will continue to be minted for sale to collectors, but not for circulation.
Though the penny has been around since the U.S. started minting coins in 1793, time finally caught up with it. Cost was one factor: By the end, it cost 3.69 cents to make each one-cent coin, up from 1.42 cents only a decade ago. On top of that, the use of cash for purchases declines every year.
But pennies are still a very real part of everyday purchases … and shortages are already spreading, thanks largely to a lack of guidance from Congress.
- R.V.
Debt-free December: For 25 days straight, NerdWallet is giving away $100,000 cash to help you pay down your debt or use however you choose. 25 days. 25 prizes. 25 chances to win $100,000. Learn more.
Is TikTok Shop the new QVC?
TikTok — the vertical video timesuck — is approaching e-commerce powerhouse status, looking to siphon away our fun money, too.
TikTok Shop launched in 2023 and grew quickly, with recent reports pointing to $19 billion in global sales on the platform in the third quarter of 2025 alone. TikTok is now a place where a lot of people, especially Generation Z users, discover and buy stuff while browsing the app or watching influencer live events.
Impulse buys await: It sounds like a fun way to shop (I wouldn’t know as an elder-millennial TikTok holdout), but also an inherently impulsive proposition. Watch the influencer you adore dab on some eye cream, then tap “buy” on a tube for yourself in real time. At least when my aunt used to watch QVC late at night, she’d have to call the number on the screen and dig the card out of her purse before ordering a new ironing board.
Awareness is key: TikTok Shop is blurring the line between social media entertainment and shopping, making it easy to buy too much when you hadn’t planned to buy anything at all. And keep in mind, a lot of cheap items can add up in cost over time. So, you may want to take a pause before your next in-stream purchase. Maybe you don’t need it? Or, maybe you do, once you take a moment to ponder it.
Maybe you could make money on TikTok, instead of spending it there.
- Tommy Tindall
In case you missed it
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News via Getty Images
Here’s what else you may have missed from NerdWallet:
Visa and Mastercard are proposing some rule changes that could change how much you’re charged when you swipe. Credit cards editor Kenley Young has more.
Paying extra to directly access your doctor could be worth it. Personal finance writer Kate Ashford breaks down how to decide if concierge medicine is for you.
Holiday travelers hoping to skip the line at security could get CLEAR for free — if they know where to look, writes contributor Ramsy Qubein.
Speaking of holiday travel, travel writer Craig Joseph counts off 100 travel deals for Black Friday and Travel Tuesday this year.
We finally got a September jobs report and it showed an uptick in jobs added — a relief after August’s drop — but a slight increase in the unemployment rate (now 4.4%). But without October’s data (which we may never see) the true picture of the labor market is unclear. Find out what NerdWallet’s Senior Economist Elizabeth Renter has to say about the report.
Your MoneyNerd team:
Courtney Neidel, Anna Helhoski, Rick VanderKnyff.
Until next week,
