Mrs Cloudy
I travel for work a lot.
HMRC allowances for mileage food and drink haven't changed for so long I have to subsidise my own expenses. 45p per mile for car use is just silly.
For food and drink it's impossible.
£5 for travel of 5 hours or more (£10 supplement if travel is ongoing at 8pm)
£10 for travel of 10 hours or more (£10 supplement if travel is ongoing at 8pm)
£25 for travel of 15 hours or more (and ongoing at 8pm)
I can be out for a nine hour day and can claim a £5.
MPs expenses?
Delphi
@CloudyMrs It's a financial nightmare. I used to travel & was told the tax office wouldn't permit higher allowances. I remember being in Copenhagen and having to find a supermarket for dinner. The allowance didn't stretch to a hot meal. Finding accommodation in the budget has been difficult for decades, especially in London. I reported one place to the council as it was a fire hazard. One colleague thought he was being attacked in the night, the wallpaper fell off on him!
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi I often stay in hostels because I can't find anywhere else within budget. That has the advantage of having cooking facilities. You can't get dinner for £10 in any other way unless you constantly eat at MacDonalds and even that's now hovering around the £10 mark.
Peter Brown
@CloudyMrs @Delphi indeed! The only fish supper you’ll get for that price would be the half size OAP version.
Mrs Cloudy
@peterbrown @Delphi it's very difficult to try and eat healthy food on expenses. It's constant grabbed bites and cheap fillers.
Delphi
@CloudyMrs As long as it's clean I'm okay (well & a shower that works). Had lots of excellent cold meals from supermarkets, the fruit & veg in Italy was marvellous. The expectation that we will accept this level while directors (& MPs) have money coming out of their ears is beyond unacceptable. BTW - I'm on the way out. Fighting for ill-health retirement.
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi the fruit and veg selection across Scotland is a bit less stunning. A punnet of strawberries in season will hit you for £3.50. It's very hit or miss if you are a bit more off the beaten track.
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi @peterbrown I had one last night. Nearly £12.
Delphi
@peterbrown @CloudyMrs I used to enjoy a fish supper but haven't had one since you've needed a second mortagage to pay for it.
Delphi
@CloudyMrs @peterbrown It's a bit easier if you have cold food from supermarkets. In Copenhagen I got a pot of prawns (they're cheaper than they are here), a very small rye loaf & a tomato. When I was a lot younger it was wall-to-wall very unhealthy pot-noodles😂
I went to one place (gave a computing training) in the middle of nowhere & they'd all brought sandwiches but not told me there was no place to get food. Nobody shared! I was ravenous by the end of the day.
Delphi
@CloudyMrs That's a bit hopeless then. Do the bakers still do mince & tattie flan? Unhealthy, I suppose but I do love it.
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi @peterbrown Eating that way will keep you alive, but it's also quite lonely. If you're travelling with a colleague it seems churlish to say you're buying a loaf and eating in your room. 🤣
Delphi
@CloudyMrs When you're in the middle of nowhere you've got to hope you can find an outdated cereal bar in your bag. I've done that a few times.
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi never heard of it.
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi yes! Done that.
Delphi
@CloudyMrs It's a meat pie with mashed potato on top rather than a pastry lid.
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi oh aye. Seen them. £3.50 ish.
Delphi
@CloudyMrs @peterbrown That time I was travelling with my boss & avoiding her at mealtimes was part of my plan. Often couldn't even get through breakfast without her (but I was only being paid for 9-5). In Texas I was with the boss & her colleagues. We all went for dinner. They ordered wine which couldn't be on expenses (the reason why I had none). The bill was split evenly - so my take-home pay covered some of their drinking. Mostly travelled alone & often ate lunch with my students.
Delphi
@CloudyMrs 😵 Goodness, I'm out of date.
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi @peterbrown crap boss. I'm always aware of other people's restrictions. I'm not the lowest paid amongst people I sometimes travel with. I would never make an assumption like that.
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi everything has gone up except the expenses allocation.
Delphi
@CloudyMrs @peterbrown Wish everyone was as considerate.
Delphi
@CloudyMrs And therein lies the problem.
Mrs Cloudy
@Delphi @peterbrown maybe just my life experience. I've been the one worrying too many times.
Delphi
@CloudyMrs @peterbrown Same here.
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