Tracking Money in Savings Account

[Mike or Penny Novack]

>How should a user suggest an improvement?  It needs to start with the concept.  
>I haven't been tracking this thread too closely, but it seems to be involved 
>with the envelope method of budgeting.  OK.  Think through how you would set up 
>the envelopes using gnucash's accounts.  What works easily and what doesn't?  
>What new capabilities/reports might be useful?  As a developer, I can help you 
>use the gnucash vocabulary to try to develop what you want, but I would prefer 
>you can provide a thought-out design (including dialog box layouts if possible, 
>even if informal) and workflow.
>
>  
>
I'd like to go back to the beginning from the USER perspective. And I'll 
wear my "business analyst hat" and ask some questions about the desired 
behavior.

Yes I understand the "envelope" concept, budgeting for those who do not 
know budgeting, and derived from a simple system that assume only 
physical money was involved and so could be put Minot physical 
envelopes. Let's try that, shall we?

I am going to ask a question and would like the person who first asked 
to this ("current account" divided into envelopes) to try to answer.

First problem that I can see --- let's take the clothing "envelope" (the 
amount budgeted for clothing purchases during the period). How will some 
item of clothing be paid for? By a check (from the current account -- 
ok, I can see the envelope working for that) OR from cash in pocket 
(oops, now it doesn't) OR an online purchase so by credit card (oops 
again).

That is why my first suggestion was looking at the budget support within 
GnuCash and see how budgets are reconciled against actuals. Now it 
doesn't matter HOW purchased.

Michael