Cookie jar accounting

[Dave Peticolas]

Ed Symanzik writes:
> We have always run our budget using cookie jar accounting.
> That is, I get paid and the money goes into accounts for
> each area that we budget.  It is all in the checking account,
> we just keep track on paper.
> 
> I would like to do this with gnucash but I am not sure how
> this works.
> 
> Income - Salary
> Bank - Checking
>        Checking:Food
>        Checking:Clothing
> Expense - Food
> Expense - Clothing
> Expense - Taxes
> 
> So I get paid:
> 
>   Salary            +3000
>   Checking:Food     +1000
>   Checking:Clothing +1000
>   Taxes             +1000
> 
> This looks ok.  Then I spend it:
> 
> Check #1000
>   Checking:Food     -300
>   Checking:Clothing -100
>   Food              +300
>   Clothing          +100
> 
> Gnucash seems to get really confused with this.
> My guess is I am the one who is confused or there 
> is something fundamentally wrong with my plan.

Could you explain how it gets confused?

dave