What price comfort?
December 8, 2010
After all is said and done, we spent an insane amount of money preparing for this business trip. INSANE.
I will definitely use everything that was purchased for many years to come because they are all high-quality materials, and I most certainly used them every single day on this trip so far and wouldn’t have survived it without, but I still cannot believe the total cost at the end of the day.
My clothing cost at least $600. PiC won’t tell me how much my surprise warm fuzzy boots cost, but I know the coat was nearly $500. None of the coats I ordered from Lands’ End (I ordered four to try on as they don’t carry petites in store) fit well, nor were they as flexible. The one he ran out and bought can be unzipped to be just a down or just a raincoat as well as zipped together, and it’s got a lifetime guarantee. Add in new waterproof, lined gloves, a hat, and very thick woolly socks (on sale) to round out the total.
My tech cost another $700. The computer was nearly $400 and then I ended paying through the nose for a 3-pack of the Microsoft Suite which I intended to skip installing except our servers wouldn’t let me access my work email in any way shape or form via anything BUT the installed program. It’s never given me that much trouble before, and on the eve of travel, it kicked up such a fuss, I couldn’t risk it.
Web-only access continued to be a serious problem throughout the trip so it’s a good thing I did install the suite because I would not have been able to work and that’s a huuuuge no-no.
And of course, the tote bag didn’t show up until I was long gone had to be replaced by another one, so I had to hie me to REI for something waterproof and over the shoulder/cross body in the absence of anything lightweight and professional looking. Found it for $80. *sigh*
Honest to goodness, I really should have considered all these costs when scheduling the work trip, not just when it would be slightly less inconvenient to be away from the office. What a huge pain to have spent well over a thousand dollars and wasted all that time shopping and fretting. It was an unusual week and the snow made for an unusual trip and it was an awful lot of fun. But that’s an offsetting benefit you can’t really expense against the costs.
I’ve just been minding the cost of meals out down to recoup some of the per diem money even if it is just a drop in the bucket. Every little bit counts!
All these items will be amortized over future business trips. I’d love to see your fuzzy boots!
Which coat did PiC get you? It’s well worth it!
That’s the best thing about business traveling — saving the per diem. I’m a HUGE FAN OF THAT 😛
Also, those boots sound really comfy. Did you mean “the cost was well over $500”? Because you wrote “the coat”. 🙂
Did you ever find that coat though? I remember looking for you and thinking: ARG!
*patpatpat*
Sunk costs now!
{gulp!} Now that’s bracing!
You ought to be able to write off the electronic gear…and MAYBE the luggage needed for a business trip. I like frugalscholar’s take on it: amortize the cost over the next year or two of trips. And yeah…whatever happened with the coat question?
well, uh… look on the bright side?
Now you’re suited to visit us in Canada during the winter month? ^___^;;
Seriously though… Although pricey, sounds like some of them were good buys. You can always reuse them again (especially the computer). Comfort may be pricey but at least it’s not a one-use kinda thing.
@Frugal Scholar: Future trips, business or not, yes. I’ll post a picture once I get some energy back. 🙂
@LA Daze: He bought the Patagonia combo rain jacket and down jacket. I forget the name, but it was WARM.
@FB: I wish I were better at it, but it was my first try.
Yes, the COAT really was nearly $500. It was $465 and then plus tax … *shudder shudder* I’m going to have that coat for 20 years.
@Nicole: Yes indeedy. Definitely sunk now.
@FaM: Yes, the electronics are entirely for work so that should be a write-off, I don’t know if I’ll get away with the clothes but I might seeing as how they were wholly intended for work.
So the coat was an entirely different one than the one I was looking at, even MORE expensive than what he initially proposed.
@AP: Please tell me you don’t plan to roll out weather that cold for me when I visit!!
And you’re right, every single thing I bought will be used over and over again. Except for that travel lotion. That tube is a goner.