custom expense and asset/liability report question

[Karl Anderson]

Mark Johnson <mrj001 at shaw.ca> writes:

> I use a customized cash flow report for this very purpose.  When you are 
> viewing the cash flow report, click options on the toolbar.  You can 
> change the accounts for which you view cash flowing in and out.  For 
> example, I have my credit cards selected so that my custom report treats 
> credit card spending as though it were a cash flow item.  (I pay the 
> bill in full every month.)

Okay, I get it - only select accounts from the expenses or liabilities
end and don't worry about where the money comes from.  Thanks.

This is kind of confusing because the report contains only two
sections that are actually pertient - the Selected Accounts list and
the Difference total.  The money in/money out list isn't really
important, because it doesn't matter to me whether I bought something
with cash or a credit card.

The money in/money out list is also confusing because it handles every
part of a split as money moving through an account.  For example, I
deposited two checks at an ATM - a $200 rebate check that went to
lowering an expense account, and a $300 check which came from an
income account.  The bank lists this as a single $500 transaction, so
I recorded it with a split.  Looking at the cash flow report for the
expense account only, it lists the $300 as coming in from income and
then going out to my checking account where it was deposited, as well
as the $200 rebate check going out to the checking account.

This isn't a bug, the Difference number adds up in the end, I'm just
pointing this out because it was what was misdirecting me before.  I
had to play with the dates to figure it out.  Ideally, my bank
wouldn't glob the deposits together, and I wouldn't need to use a
split.

-- 
Karl Anderson      kra at monkey.org      http://monkey.org/~kra/