pending vs. cleared transactions

[T. Howell-Cintron]

<newbie alert>

My bank, Chase, has a web interface for me to view my recent
transactions, and to export those transactions via QFX for import into
GnuCash.  I'm in the habit of reviewing these completed transactions and
making sure they "jive" with the receipts I've collected.

The problem is that these transactions can take days to clear, and I'm
afraid that's going to affect my ability to budget and track expenses
appropriately.  Say I'm at the end of a cycle and I've just purchased a
slew of groceries.  These should rightfully fall under this month's
budget, but by the time they clear it will already be next month.

My question is this: do I enter transactions as soon as I'm aware of
them (ie, enter receipts immediately), dated accordingly, and then
reconcile them later once they've cleared at Chase?  Or should I just
wait for them to clear and then enter them in GnuCash?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Cheers,
Tom Howell-Cintron