Budgeting prototype

[Stewart V. Wright]

Hi Darin


* Darin Willits <darin at blueyonder.co.uk> [030903 02:46]:

> Actually, the $200 budgeted for the credit card in this example is not for
> a single bill but rather the amount that this account should change over 
> the designated period (monthly in this case).  The intent is to show that at
> the end of the month I want my credit card balance to go down by $200.00.  

Ah.  OK  I understand that now.  Good example of an additional need in
the budgeting code.
 { Concerns--; }   
 //  Yeah, that's a pretty sad way of expressing it really...


> You would budget for groceries using the Expenses:Groceries catagory. 
> Where the money to pay for groceries comes from doesn't really matter.
> I don't want to model _how_ the money gets from one account to another, 
> only that at the end of the period things should have changed by the
> designated amounts.  Maybe I need a better nomenclature to explain
> this... or maybe some sleep. ;-)

*Laughing*

I think we are coming to more of a common ground, guess it is
Churchill's "Divided by a common language" coming to the fore.
Yet it is worse 'cos I speak Strine, the language of Straya (say it
aloud, or watch 'Neighbours').

Another point or two of clarification:  (For this I am using [B] to
specify a budget category, as apposed to a regular account)
 * Would I be able to link Expenses:Dining and Expenses:Groceries to
   the same [B]Expenses:Food category?  
   I guess so, from figure 5 on your page.
 * Will I be able to see all the transactions for a particular budget
   category?


> I would have thought that you could set up two sub-accounts for each type of
> book purchase as such:
> 
> -Expenses
>      -Books
>           -Work
>           -Fun

True, and that is what I do now -- and I realised that books were a
bad example just after I sent the message.  However after trying to
explain this better I have just had a brain-wave and understood what I
would need to do for my situation.  Saves on a whole page of pointless
example n the archive!  :-)


> It seems to me that we are talking about very similar concepts ideas in
> using different terms.  From what I understand the categories with related

Exactly.  I think the pictures have made my understanding better and I
hope for others too.  I suspect we will be at the tweaking stage
shortly.  Then budgeting will be done.  Yay!

> accounts is a form of the virtual account method.  We just separate the 
> data into its own structures.  Then again, I could be wrong... it happened
> once I think.

One I thought I was wrong......but I wasn't.   :-P


> > Do we know that we have found 'the right way' yet?
> 
> I happen to believe so. ;-)

Shhhh...  Don't tell anyone, but I might be coming around to your
point of view.

Nice job.  What did you use to produce the windows for the
screen shots?


> > Damn, and here was I thinking that I would start a flame war!  :-P
> 
> Robust debate can only help the cause!

<class="trouble-making">

  Yeah, but TOFU posters should be shot!

</class>

Now I'm going to run for cover.


Cheers,

S.
-- 
European Citizens: Please do a little work to convince the European
Parliament to reject software patents. This page explains the issue
and provides suggestions for action; take the time to participate.
  http://swpat.ffii.org/
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 274 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
Url : http://lists.gnucash.org/pipermail/gnucash-user/attachments/20030903/f071cc1b/attachment-0001.pgp