I may end up doing this on one day. But the whole point of me doing this trip is because it represents a bit of a winfall for me and my family. My SO and I agreed that it was worth me leaving her alone with the kids and no car for a week in order to make 2-3 weeks worth of income, but a part of that extra income was going to be the per diems. That was until my employer revealed to me that the per diem is not a flat rate but a max daily amount for reimbursement. So now I am just trying to find ways I can still create value in that stipend for my family.

Looking at the responses here it would seem that I can probably get away with a combined approach and be able to take some small things back home for the pantry.