Cheapism is editorially independent. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site.

Shopping / Kitchen & Groceries

Food Lion’s Customizable Thanksgiving Dinner Basket Is Also $40, But Still Doesn’t Beat Aldi

Published

•

By  

Exterior view of a Food Lion grocery store with large blue signage and windows displaying the words “Easy, fresh, affordable.” The entrance and parking area are visible in front of the building.
Bill W. / Yelp

A $40 Thanksgiving meal for 10 people is all the rage right now, and grocery stores from Aldi to Walmart to Target have been selling grocery baskets to help make it happen. East Coast grocery store Food Lion has released its own, and unlike many of the other stores, you have some customizable options. Here’s everything you need to know.

Where Is Food Lion?

Food Lion grocery store exterior on a sunny day, with large blue store sign, window advertisements, glass entrance doors, and a bicycle parked outside the entrance.
ablokhin/istockphoto

Food Lions are common in the eastern United States, with locations in 10 states:

What Comes in Food Lion’s Thanksgiving Dinner Basket?

A display of Thanksgiving food items, including a turkey, potatoes, pie, canned goods, and stuffing mix, with text reading "Thanksgiving under $40" and a Food Lion MVP logo on a white tiled background.
Food Lion

These are the 14 different ingredient types that make up Food Lion’s basket:

  • 1 Frozen Turkey (14 lb.)
  • 2 Cans Green Giant Corn (15 oz.)
  • 2 Cans Green Giant Green Beans (14 oz.)
  • 1 Can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup (10 oz.)
  • 1 Bag Food Lion French Fried Onions (6 oz.)
  • 2 Boxes Stove Top Stuffing Mix (6 oz.)
  • 2 Boxes Food Lion Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese (14 oz.)
  • 1 Bag Fresh Cranberries (12 oz.)
  • 1 Bag Sweet Potatoes (4 lb.)
  • 2 Packets Food Lion Turkey Gravy Mix (12 oz.)
  • 1 Tetra Pack Swanson Chicken Broth (32 oz.)
  • 1 Pack Food Lion Hawaiian Rolls (12 count)
  • 2 Frozen Mrs. Smith’s Pies (35 oz.)
  • 1 Container Frozen Food Lion Whipped Topping (8 oz.)

With this basket, you can reasonably enough make turkey, corn, green bean casserole, stuffing, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pie.

What Custom Options Is Food Lion Offering?

A red box of Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing Mix is shown, featuring an image of the prepared stuffing and vegetables. The package highlights “Ready in 5 minutes” and lists the net weight as 6 oz (170g).
Food Lion

Food Lion is differentiating themselves a bit by offering a few custom options. For starters, there are six different Stove Top boxed stuffing mixes you can choose from:

  • Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing Mix
  • Stove Top Chicken Stuffing Mix
  • Stove Top Lower Sodium Chicken Stuffing Mix
  • Stove Top Pork Stuffing Mix
  • Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Mix
  • Stove Top Savory Herbs Stuffing Mix

Broths are swappable from chicken to beef for the same price, and you’ve got four different mac and cheese options:

  • Food Lion Original Shells & Cheese Dinner 
  • Food Lion Original Macaroni & Cheese 
  • Food Lion Four Cheese Macaroni & Cheese
  • Food Lion Sharp Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese

Where every other retailer offers only pumpkin pie, here you’ve got two free slots to fill with frozen pies, and one of them is Dutch apple.

Is Food Lion’s Bundle the Best Deal?

A variety of groceries, including fresh vegetables, a turkey, canned goods, spices, and baking ingredients, are arranged on a wooden counter next to an ALDI shopping bag in a bright kitchen.
ALDI

Food Lion is one of many to join the ranks of a $40 meal for 10, coming out to $4 per person.

Walmart and Aldi are doing the same thing and offer a similar amount of food. Aldi, however, gives you marshmallows for the sweet potatoes (mandatory for some people) and some fresh produce. 

Kroger’s bundle skips the marshmallows, but is also $40 for 10 people, and the same goes for Stop & Shop.

Target’s Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper than all of them in total, serving a small family of four for $20. However, this comes out to $5 per person, which is overall more expensive than the other retailers. This doesn’t come with dessert, but does include turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, gravy, bread, and corn.

While Food Lion’s value is pretty solid, Aldi’s Thanksgiving basket still looks like the best deal of all. With 21 different ingredients, fresh vegetables, and marshmallows, you get objectively more food from Aldi. However, you’ll need to ask yourself if you prefer Aldi’s house brand to Food Lion’s.

When Is Food Lion’s Thanksgiving Deal Available?

A blue sign in a grocery store parking lot reads: “Food Lion To Go. Let us know you’re here! Call 704-932-5608 then press 1. Reserved Parking Space 1.” The store building is visible in the background.
Sydney M. / Yelp

This promotion will run from November 12 to November 27, available in-store or through Food Lion To Go. Expect extra charges for delivery.

More Grocery News You Might Like

A woman wearing glasses and a white top pours a dark liquid from a bottle into a pan while cooking in a bright, modern kitchen with plants and utensils on the counter.
AleksandarNakic/istockphoto

Meet the Writer


Wilder Shaw

Wilder Shaw is a staff writer at Cheapism who has written for publications like The Washington Post, Thrillist, Time Out, and more, but you most likely recognize him as Trick-or-Treater No. 2 from a 1996 episode of “The Nanny”. Give him a shout on Bluesky and Instagram.