Ouch! Says My Wallet...

[penguin]

Ok, I can get used to not eating normal bread...

I can get used to getting a PhD in label reading...

I can get used to having to mix three-hundred flours to make anything...

I cannot get used to spending $6 on "bread" crumbs! They better be good!

Sheesh, this gluten-free stuff is expensive! I'm still having trouble with paying $5 minimum for a pizza crust. There's only so much I can do with masa mix...

I wonder if that brick of Pamela's bread I made would make good breadcrumbs...

[lovegrov]

I don't bother with $5 pizza crusts. I buy a $1.50 bag of Mission white corn tortillas and make mini-pizzas. But I was never a thick crust fan, either.

richard

[plantime]

I agree with Richard, except I use bite-size Tostitos chips. I like pizza crusts thin and crispy, and this suits me just fine. I use the microwave to melt the cheese on top.

[IronedOut]

I wonder if that brick of Pamela's bread I made would make good breadcrumbs...

Yep, mine made fine bread crumbs.

[Guest nini]

stick to a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables and organic clean meats... it's easier on your wallet this way.

there really is a lot of mainstream food that is naturally gluten-free, and you really don't need to spend the money on most extras... The only things I justify on a regular basis are Tinkyada pasta and Kinnickinick bread, the other things that are so expensive, I only get every once in a while as a "treat"...

also, I don't use breadcrumbs usually, I use instant mashed potato flakes to mix in with meatloafs and such, and even to bread chicken for fried chicken. I mix up spices in with the mashed potato flakes and it really makes a great "breading" The only time I use "bread crumbs" is for my cornbread dressing at Thanksgiving. I take several peices of gluten-free bread and crumble it up... that's all.

[hez]

Since we never go out to eat anymore I really do not mind spending the cash on food. I figure it evens out, the money I spend and the money we save being at home.

Hez

[jerseyangel]

Since we never go out to eat anymore I really do not mind spending the cash on food. I figure it evens out, the money I spend and the money we save being at home.

Hez

That's exactly how we feel about it!

[Lisa]

As mentions on a privious thread, special dietary foods can be tax deduced. You much keep very accurate records of this, as it may send up a red-flag to the IRS. Travel to specialty stores, and the difference in gluten bread and non-gluten bread, etc.

I don't, don't want to invite the IRS into my life any more than it already does.

[Carriefaith]

If you're in Canada, you can get the difference in price back from gluten free items to gluten items. Therefore, if a loaf of gluten-free bread cost 6$ and regular bread cost $2, then you would get $4 back. This can add up to a lot of money by the end of the year!

I also get frustrated with the high prices of my groceries, but then I just think that I can't put a price on my health.

[munchkinette]

Wait, you can deduct this stuff on your taxes? How? Do you need an official diagnosis to do that?

[VydorScope]

Wait, you can deduct this stuff on your taxes? How? Do you need an official diagnosis to do that?

Before you do , you better check with who ever does your taxes, its been siad many times here that the IRS considers it a redflag for auditing.

[Guest nini]

my accountant won't touch it with a ten foot pole. He's been doing my taxes for 15 years now and says that it would def. be a red flag to the IRS...

[penguin]

my accountant won't touch it with a ten foot pole. He's been doing my taxes for 15 years now and says that it would def. be a red flag to the IRS...

Couldn't this be seen as discrimination, somewhere?

[lovegrov]

Here is today's post from Clan Thompson. This is the first time I've ever heard of an IRS person saying this is definitely deducitible. You still have to hit 7.5 percent medical expenses. And, as CT says, I absolutely wouldn't do it without an expert helping you.

1. ARE GLUTEN FREE FOODS A LEGITIMATE TAX DEDUCTION?

(Editor's Note: Clan Thompson and its employees are not qualified tax professionals. The information provided in this article is not a substitute for advice obtained from the Internal Revenue Service or a qualified tax professional. If you have tax questions you should consult an accountant or other qualified tax professional for advice.)

by Christopher Thompson

Some of our readers have asked us whether it might be possible to deduct the cost of purchasing gluten-free food, because this is an extra expense for a medical reason. According to IRS Publication 502, page 15 (available on the IRS website): "Where an item purchased in a special form primarily to alleviate a physical defect is one that in normal form is ordinarily used for personal, living, or family purposes, the excess of the cost of the special form over the cost of the normal form is a medical expense."

We called IRS, and the agent we talked to confirmed that gluten free foods are a legitimate medical deduction. However, the amount you can include in medical expenses is limited to the amount by which the cost of the gluten free food exceeds the cost of a "normally" priced item. In order to establish this amount, you will need to keep detailed records of what "normal" items cost and what comparable gluten free items cost.

The form to use for this deduction is Schedule A, Form 1040. Add the excess cost of the special food (compared to the normal food equivalent) to your other medical expenses on Schedule A. If your total medical expenses are greater than 7 1/2% of your adjusted gross income AFTER you've received any insurance reimbursements, you will be entitled to take this deduction, according to the agent we spoke with. However, you can not be a self-diagnosed celiac. You need to have an official diagnosis by a physician, and the IRS advises you to keep all documentation and records in case of an audit.

It may also be possible to deduct other expenses associated with celiac disease, including the cost of visiting medical specialists. If a medical condition requires travel, those expenses may also be deductible. Lodging expenses for trips that are primarily for and essential to medical care provided by a physician in a licensed hospital are deductible as medical expenses. Lodging expenses are not deductible if there is any significant element of personal pleasure, recreation or vacation in the away-from-home travel. The lodging cannot be lavish or extravagant and shouldn't cost more than $50 per night per individual. Under this rule, the phrase 'licensed hospital' is held to include outpatient clinics and similar facilities.

The bottom line is, if you're planning to take a medical care deduction on your tax return, you should consult an accountant or other qualified tax professional for advice.

richard

[tiredofdoctors]

Thanks for the info Richard . . . . doesn't it seem like a WHOLE lot of work, though, for what could end up being a minimal deduction?????

You would have to find the cost of the regular item, verify it, record it, then record the difference on each receipt. For each item your purchase that's special for the diet.

I don't think I'm that organized! I can do an Excel spreadsheet with the best of them, but it just seems like a negative-value task by the time you put the amount of time you put into it, AND the red flag that it brings with the IRS. Hmmmm. . . . .don't think I plan on deducting my food!

I'm sure that there are others who are much more organized than I, and that it will probably be a breeze for them . . . I just don't think that I should take the chance!!!!! I'm just not that good!!!

[VydorScope]

Thanks for the info Richard . . . . doesn't it seem like a WHOLE lot of work, though, for what could end up being a minimal deduction?????

You would have to find the cost of the regular item, verify it, record it, then record the difference on each receipt. For each item your purchase that's special for the diet.

I don't think I'm that organized! I can do an Excel spreadsheet with the best of them, but it just seems like a negative-value task by the time you put the amount of time you put into it, AND the red flag that it brings with the IRS. Hmmmm. . . . .don't think I plan on deducting my food!

I'm sure that there are others who are much more organized than I, and that it will probably be a breeze for them . . . I just don't think that I should take the chance!!!!! I'm just not that good!!!

Thats basicly the opion of almost all of us

[tiredofdoctors]

I think that's one of those things that is "good in theory", but almost impossible to apply in the real world. I'm sure the government knew that when they set the thing up

[Becky6]

Do any of you claim medical expenses on your taxes? Like co-pays and prescriptions and dental work? My husband has several scripts and co-pays and I had a lot of dental work so I saved every reciept in a binder and we got a good deduction for that. It seems like a lot of work at first but I would just come home and put the recipt in the binder. I know it is a little more work with the gluten-free foods to reg foods but if you have other deductions and would hit your 7.5% it maybe would not be so bad. Who knows?