Tracking Money in Savings Account

[John Layman]

This thread has confirmed a timeless verity" "When your only tool is a
hammer, every problem looks like a nail."

The cautionary corollary, of course, warns that if you're comfortable
wielding your hammer, you'd better watch that you don't keep hammering away
when you have some other tool in hand.

As a former Microsoft Money user, I know that force fitting the envelope
concept onto its accounts-and-categories data model would be like driving
nails with a bench vise.   GnuCash has a more flexible data model, but it
would require bending and twisting the software completely out of shape to
force fit envelopes onto it.  The issue here is not merely one of failing to
understand the proper use of the tool, it's a failure to clearly think
through the problem to be solved.  If you insist on viewing a problem only
through the lens of a pre-conceived solution, you're unlikely ever to really
understand (or solve) the problem.

-----Original Message-----
From: gnucash-user-bounces at gnucash.org
[mailto:gnucash-user-bounces at gnucash.org] On Behalf Of Mike or Penny Novack
Sent: Monday, December 20, 2010 5:11 PM
To: Phil Longstaff
Cc: Gnucash User
Subject: Re: Tracking Money in Savings Account


>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


_______________________________________________
gnucash-user mailing list
gnucash-user at gnucash.org
https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
-----
Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.