Budgeting/pre-allocation procedure?

[Michael J. Barillier]

I've seen various threads related to aspects of budgeting in Gnucash
but haven't seen anything concrete that I could implement.  Basically,
I'd like to set aside funds in my checking account for upcoming bills,
either known or estimated, so that if my wife or I look at the account
balance we see what's available to be spent, not the actual balance.
The best solution I've come up with is to create a separate asset
account and transfer whatever I expect to spend on upcoming bills into
that holding account, and when I pay the bills from the checking
account I transfer back into the checking account to cover what I've
written.  I'm wondering if someone hasn't come up with a more elegant
or ``correct'' (from an accounting perspective) method that wouldn't
be a tremendous PITA to implement?

Thanks -

-- 
Michael J. Barillier               | ``When you have to shoot, shoot.
<blackwolf(at)shadizar.dyndns.org> | Don't talk.''
Public key available on request.   |                     -- Tuco Ramirez