$61 for a July 4th Cookout?

Careful, that Fourth of July backyard barbecue can burn a hole in your pocket.

The cost of feeding four adults has climbed to an estimated $61.16 this year, up from $54.62 in 2010, according to Mary Ann Milbourn in the Orange County Register. She's drawn her market basket total from the National Retail Federation/BIGresearch Independence Day survey.

"This year’s biggest cost of barbecuing is for charcoal, which has rocketed from $3.09 in 2010 to $7.41 this year, a whopping 140 percent. And lighter fluid is up 22 percent," she writes.

And you may want to skimp on the condiments since the price of both ketchup and mayonnaise is up 31 percent since last year. 

But a few essentials are cheaper, she reports. You’ll save 10 cents on hot dogs and 87 cents on hot dog and hamburger buns.

“Consumers are looking forward to celebrating the Fourth of July with family and friends, but they probably won’t be happy about having to spend more on groceries for a quintessential American holiday,” Milbourn quotes Pam Goodfellow, BIGresearch consumer insights director. “Rising food costs are forcing consumers to spend more on the necessities and in turn, pressuring them to make more practical purchases in areas such as apparel, dining out and vacations.”

Here’s the BIGresearch market basket survey’:

Cost of a Fourth of July barbecue

Source: Orange County Register