[novice level] how to accomplish this scenario

[prl]

On 13/06/12 14:46, casi wrote:
> Hi Harry,
>
> also not being an expert, maybe this is starting point:
>
> 1) I don't think that there is a "payment" reminder function for
> transactions that a due in the near future. GnuCash is a "only" booking
> things that have occured. But you might want to play arround with the
> "scheduled transaction" feature. If there are scheduled transaction due
> between two GnuCash sessions, then can be notified at the next start of
> GnuCash about those transactions. This is also acts as some kind of
> reminder, but it reminds you of things that have automatically been
> entered in the near past.
> I am not using this, so just read the help and wiki pages about
> "scheduled transactions", or simply try it out (I have played around
> with it once, and I got the clue out of it without spending much time
> with documentation).
>
Scheduled transactions can be set up with both "remind in advance" and 
"create in advance" with the number of days set for each transaction.

I use scheduled transactions with either for all my regular income and 
expense transactions (credit card payment, utilities, health insurance, 
subscriptions, etc) with either create in advance or remind in advance, 
or both. For variable transactions, like utilities, I just enter the 
transaction value in the scheduled transaction when I receive the bill 
from the provider; then I get a reminder a few days before payment is due.

I'm considering removing the credit card payment scheduled transactions, 
because reconciliation of a credit card statement can automatically 
create the payment transction. What I normally do is reconcile, create a 
"pay on date" transaction with my bank for the balance owing, and enter 
its payment date and other details (like the bank's reference number for 
the transaction) in the transaction form in the reconciliation. 
Scheduled transactions just create clutter for these CC payments. I do 
it all manually because there's no GnuCash online banking interface for 
the small Australian bank I use (and the bank probably doesn't support 
it anyway).

For "create in advance" scheduled transactions (in fact for all 
future-dated transactions) GnuCash puts a heavy blue line between past 
and future transactions, so you can easily see which have already 
happened and which are in the future.

I have about 25 scheduled transactions, and I don't consider myself has 
having a very complicated financial life :)

Peter