Can You Write Off Grocery Store Mileage on Your Taxes?

[jenniferp417]

I'm doing my first show this weekend. I live in an itsy-bitsy town, and I had to drive to the city for my ingredients... I decided that at least for my first few shows, that I'd provide the ingredients as a courtesy to my hostesses.

Can I write off the mileage to and from the grocery store on my taxes? It's 30 miles round trip.

I *did* run some other errands, to make the trip worthwhile, but the food ingredients are all on one receipt by themselves.

Thanks!

 

[cmdtrgd]

Yup! Make sure you put the mileage AND the food in as expenses!

 

[jenniferp417]

Cool! Thanks!

 

[dannyzmom]

Yep!! You sure can!

 

[rayday]

Go for it!! I have to drive pretty far to get to the Wal-mart and that is where I get lots of supplies from. It really does add up and helps at the end of the year!

 

[PamperedK]

This is an area I'm really bad at - remembering to mark my mileage. I keep all of my supply receipts, but I always forget to mark my kilometers.

 

[pcleah]

I made a general list of mileage. Since I visit the same stores all the time, I made a list of the the total (to and from) mileage. This way if I forget to write it down, I look on the reciept and know where the store was and how much mileage to mark down. Make sense?!??!

 

[floccies]

You can also use something like mapquest or randmcnally to calculate mileage. Most receipts have an address on them.

 

[jenniferknapp]

I go out of town quite a bit, and stop at the PO on the way that would be way out of the way...I feel bad to count this mileage since it is about 15 miles farther than my local...but I get worried that it will put up a red flag if I count some mileage to the PO and not others...same thing with stores, I pick up supplies wherever I happen to be... What does everyone do in this situation?