Cyber Monday Sale! 50% Off All Access

The 10 Most Ridiculous Business Expenses of 2014 (Infographic) Cher concert tickets count, right, boss?

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Food. Lodging. Gas. These are normal -- and normally approved -- business expenses. Not Cher concert tickets, Christmas tree pajama bottoms and -- wait for it, boss -- sleeping pills.

Or are they? Well, to some brazen (or really clueless) employees they were, according to Certify's 2014 T&E Expense Trends survey. The expense-management software company recently polled 60,000 business travelers about their business excursion spending over the last year and, boy, did some winners crop up in the bunch. The best part? Certify put their most bizarre findings together in an entertaining infographic for your viewing pleasure.

Related: 5 Simple Steps to Prevent Expense Fraud

Some of the most outlandish expenses divulged in the poll include a $25 mattress pad (for what, pray tell?), a $500 claim for hail damage to a car and a nearly $5,000 hyperbaric oxygen chamber (that probably left some poor accountant breathless). You know, all run of the mill biz expenses, right?

The real kicker here is that all of them were approved.

Related: 5 Secrets to Managing Your Business While Traveling

Worse than the ridiculous expenses themselves are the lame excuses people put forward for making them. One worker expensed $100 blown on "beers." Why? "Liquid to maintain life in the tropics." Completely understandable. Another purchased a hat because "Everyone else was getting one." Watch out, boss. Don't be surprised if an employee asks you to pay them back for splurging on a second computer monitor for this perfectly valid reason: "I have two eyes."

For an eyeful of last year's stupidest business expenses -- and for some giggles -- check out the tattle-taling infographic below:

Click to Enlarge

The 10 Most Ridiculous Business Expenses of 2014 (Infographic)

Related: 4 Simple Steps to Keeping Every Dollar You've Earned in Your Pocket

Kim Lachance Shandrow

Former West Coast Editor

Kim Lachance Shandrow is the former West Coast editor at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was a commerce columnist at Los Angeles CityBeat, a news producer at MSNBC and KNBC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She has also written for Government Technology magazine, LA Yoga magazine, the Lowell Sun newspaper, HealthCentral.com, PsychCentral.com and the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Coop. Follow her on Twitter at @Lashandrow. You can also follow her on Facebook here

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Real Estate

Why Real Estate Should Be a Key Part of Your Wealth-Building Strategy in 2025 and Beyond

Real estate remains a strong choice for building wealth in 2025 and beyond, from its ability to generate passive income to offering long-term appreciation and acting as a hedge against inflation.

Business News

'I Stand By My Decisions': A CEO Is Going Viral For Firing Almost All of the Company's Employees — Here's Why

The Musicians Club CEO Baldvin Oddsson fired 99 workers at once over Slack for missing a morning meeting. But there's a catch.

Marketing

How to Beat the Post-Holiday Sales Slump and Crush Your Q1 Goals

Overcome the post-holiday sales slump and keep the momentum strong with these key tips.

Franchise

Subway's CEO Steps Down Amid a Major Transition for the Sandwich Giant

John Chidsey will step down at the end of 2024, marking the close of a transformative five-year tenure.

Business News

'This Company Has Been My Life': Intel CEO Retires, Reportedly Forced Out

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has led the company since February 2021 and said his departure is "bittersweet."

Franchise

You Can Start These 10 Franchises for $10,000 or Less

Many budget-friendly franchise opportunities are in industries with high demand, such as home services, cleaning or mobile businesses.