Originally Posted by
pragakhan
Take for instance, I love making Fajitas. We pay around $28 for our family of five, so about $5.60 a person. If my wife makes them when I am gone you are talking about a savings of maybe $3 or $4. There is usually never any left over.
So if I go to Chili's and get fajitas, they cost what, $16, plus $2 for a drink, tax and tip you are looking at around $22 maybe? How do you logically decide what per-diem rate to enforce that would take all of this into account? How do you determine what my cost would be ($5.60) and apply it to three meals a day?
As an employer, I logically decide you are going to get $20-25 a day per diem. Maybe slightly higher in certain cities. It's not an exact science. If you negotiate a higher amount, I will negotiate it right out of your base pay. I don't expect you to be able to eat breakfast, lunch, and a $22 dinner every day without chipping in yourself. I never expected it for myself, and I am far from alone. My employees over the years have by and large considered traveling for work to be a privilege not a burden. Special perks are rarely if ever asked for.
Be that as it may, good for you that your employer is willing to spend more for your meals.
