Using Own Food?

I'm new to the business:

I don't know if it varies by state, but are their rules about using your own food? I'm talking like shredding cheese from your existing block, using the same milk container. Not reusing served food or your last night's leftovers, but whole products.

How does that work if you're on the Food Program and being reimbursed--I mean, if you have a $9 block of cheese and 90% is your families and you're using it on a menu item or two, do you count it, count it somewhat (is that possible?) or not at all?

Thanks!

[Josiegirl]

The way I used to do it was just figure out how many breakfasts, lunches, snacks I served during a year, then my tax accountant would multiply those numbers by what the state allowed per meal. It was so much easier that way. I'd also add up any special treats such as for birthdays, parties, etc. that I provided myself since they're not allowable on the food program for payment.
I was on the highest paying tier so it was just about the same. So this might not help if you're tier 1. Maybe post this in the tax forum to Tom Copeland.

I was too lazy to figure out what percentage of all the household foods was going to dc.
Either that or buy separate groceries for home and dc, which could be a pain also.

[AmyKidsCo]

ITA with Josiegirl. It's too big a pain to keep the food separate so I did it the same way. Even if you're on the Food Program it's good to count it up separately because you might have meals that weren't reimbursed because you made an error.

I'm not sure I meant it as a tax thing--just for food program. Do they have rules stating you cannot use food you've bought and used for your own family? If the USDA person pops in, and sees me using something that isn't mine (I need to label things that are daycare-specific so my family doesn't get confused; and I know centers have to date open foods, so I'm going to date my childcare foods, so if it doesnt have a date on it, it's an indicator it's mine.) I don't want them thinking I'm making money off them for my own family.


For taxes, I have a spreadsheet that I have for all my USDA food and non-food as well as every other expense and where I am at financially, and what percentage I used the item for, so come tax time my ducks are all lined up.

With my food purchases being separate--my system I'm planning to use is I have a groceries app on my phone, and I have each week's food items in a separate grocery list. I'm limiting how many week rotations to just a couple, and then change it up after a bit of time. Each item states how many times I'm using it so I know how much to get (ex: Animal crackers, 2 times). Then, if I don't need it because I already have some, I cross it off for that time period and put it back on the list when I do need it.
When I go to the store, I will only go for daycare so I dont have to separate at the register, and the receipt only shows USDA food and non-food. If something is mixed, I'll either take the financial hit (ex: Something costs $5 and I buy $300 of personal groceries, I'll just eat the cost, but only for uber cheap items or something that is mix use) or if I spent $5 on USDA non-food, but $30 on program supplies, I'll just put it on program supplies.

Hopefully that works out.

I found out already that I made office purchases and program purchases on the same receipt, and I want to separate them, so I just put them under program supplies on my spreadsheet.

But I may just take that idea to multiply the meals for the taxes. And you're saying to do all meals, even if it's not reimbursable due to error or because you've already done 2 snacks and a meal?

[284878]

I don't separate my food purchases. I am on the food program, I get remibursed through food program for up to 3 meals a day per child. Any meal more than that gets put into a spreadsheet for taxes. At the end of the year you have to claim the money you get from the food program. Then you deduct the money you got plus the extra meals you served.

I honestly feel I am farther ahead in time and money by not separating my grocery bill. Now there are things that I only buy for the dck that don't get used for my family.

Do you have kids who come after breakfast so you claim PM Snack instead for them?


It seems that yes, I can use my own products for food and it is ok with USDA. So now that tax portion-how do you do that on your taxes? Back to the block of cheese. If I use it for both daycare and home (whether it is 90%|10% or 50|50 whatever %) should I document each item and percentage for taxes?

[284878]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Do you have kids who come after breakfast so you claim PM Snack instead for them?


It seems that yes, I can use my own products for food and it is ok with USDA. So now that tax portion-how do you do that on your taxes? Back to the block of cheese. If I use it for both daycare and home (whether it is 90%|10% or 50|50 whatever %) should I document each item and percentage for taxes?

I have a baby that comes just before lunch so I claim lunch, pm snack and dinner for him. Another child comes after breakfast and I claim am snack, lunch and pm snack. My school ager is breakfast and pm snack when in school. All the rest is breakfast, am snack and lunch.

Then on my taxes I claim the extra snacks and pm snacks that I recorded thought-out the year.

As Tom Copeland says it is a single cracker is a snack. So if it is hot outside, give them a popsicle and mark it as a snack. I got a free after rebate box of 100 popsicles, they will become many snacks this summer.

Also, if you are gifted food and serve it to the kids, you can still claim the meal. Example DH aunt gave us a ton of pasta. Dck then at pasta twice a week.

If a baby drinks breast milk, you don't have anything to purchase but you get to claim the meal.

If you claim meals not food, you do not have to track any food/food purchases.

If you become a member of daycare.com and message me your email, I will share with you my meal tracking spreadsheet.