Scheduled transaction entry idea

[Tim Wunder]

On Sunday 25 November 2001 04:06 pm, Josh Sled wrote:
> On Sun, Nov 25, 2001 at 02:17:33PM -0500, Tim Wunder wrote:
> | I'd like to see a feature where I can enter a scheduled transation as an
> | invoice, much like business accounting packages enter AP invoices.
>
<snip>
>
> So you create a G&E SX for the 20th, with the appropriate splits, and
> then twiddle the creation options [remind, create in advance, &c] until
> it behaves how you want.  If the amount isn't fixed/known, then I'd make
> the credit/debit formula a variable, and let the since-last-run stuff
> prompt you for the amount on a monthly basis.
>

OK fair enough. That's more or less how I do it in Quicken. I have a 
recurring transaction setup that I tweak when I'm actually paying the bill. 
If the Since Last Run dialog can handle it... prompt for actual total amount 
and splits... then that's what I'm after, for the most part. At least for 
bills that don't vary much from month to month.

Further detail on how to make the credit/debit formula a variable would be 
helpful. Where can I find that info?

<more snippage>

> I do believe there's an advantage to having A/P for personal finance [I'm
> thinking budgeting and intra-month funds allocation], but only after the
> tools to play with that are created...
>

I guess this kind of functionality is what I'm really after, tying into 
budgeting and cash flow. In Quicken (I'm referring to how I use Quicken, and 
not necessarily how everyone uses Quicken), I have generic SX's created for 
all my recurring bills: credit cards, gas, phone, water, etc., each with 
estimated (read budgeted) amounts. I'll usually have Quicken open to my 
Calendar, with all the transactions displayed on the days that they're due. I 
also have a bar graph on the bottom of the page that shows a real time 
day-to-day status of my checking account (actually, checking + savings and I 
can add other accounts as well), based on already posted transactions and 
scheduled transactions. I can skip ahead several months and see what my cash 
flow situation will be, if I stay on budget (according to my SX's), or modify 
my budget in some way. And I can see, with a great deal of accuracy, my 
current cash flow situation.

Some SX's I'll leave alone until they're due (like the G&E bill) and only 
enter the "real" numbers when creating the entry. Mostly because they don't 
vary enough for me to go through the effort to make an accurate SX.  Others, 
like credit cards, vary enough month to month that I'll edit the SX when I 
get the bill, before I actually am ready to pay it. This involves editing the 
repeating SX, changing its due date to the next month and creating a new SX 
with the correct amount and splits for the due date. This keeps my near term 
graph very accurate. 

This is really what I'm after with my SX Template idea. Rather than having to 
edit an existing SX and then add a new SX, I'd like to be able to just create 
new SX based on an SX Template. 

Does that make sense? 

Tim