Re: Help with GnuCash! Why is there a “Rebate” column in the Expense account on GnuCash?

Thu Oct 18 17:40:55 EDT 2012

Paper and a pencil might be a better tool in this case.  I used them for
years.  Using gnucash I can see how much I have in addition to what I've
spent.

Sorry for being insensitive.  Comes easy for me.

Rich....

Sent from my mobile device
On Oct 18, 2012 4:45 PM, "David T." <sunfish62 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Robby--
>
> Please use Reply All, and keep this on the list. If you do that, others
> (with FAR more experience and understanding of both Gnucash and accounting)
> can chime in with their own observations.
>
> In regards to your point: I believe that it will ultimately be easier and
> clearer for you to use Gnucash to track all your expenses and accounts,
> rather than some indeterminate subset of them. I do not believe that
> Gnucash is well suited to such a partial accounting.
>
> If all you need is a running total, you might best be served with a
> spreadsheet. Personally, I prefer having all my various accounts under
> Gnucash, and I like the fact that I can determine how much money I spend on
> (say) gas or dining out, or how much interest I paid last year.
>
> And yes, if you want to track cash expenditures, you'll have to have a
> Cash account. Gnucash sets one up by default when you start up. That, by
> the way, is one area that I have not found a compelling need to track. When
> I take out cash, it goes into that account (to account for the ATM
> withdrawal), but I never end up putting in the expenditures that use up the
> cash in my pocket. Gnucash thinks I am sitting on a huge pile of cash.
>
> David
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: Robby Burns <robbyburns2010 at gmail.com>
> To: David T. <sunfish62 at yahoo.com>
> Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2012 1:28 PM
> Subject: Re: Help with GnuCash! Why is there a “Rebate” column in the
> Expense account on GnuCash?
>
>
> Thanks for your reply, David.
>
> Maybe I need to make my request more clear.
>
> I just wanted to add up all the expenses--in different categories--that I
> incurred.
>
> Yes, the payments may have been made from different accounts (banks,
> credit cards) but I do not want to have to do accounting for all of those
> accounts.  If I use my credit card for some personal stuff and some
> business stuff,
>
> I just want to be able to keep a running total of my business
> expenses...regardless of where the funds came from. (BTW...what if I pay
> cash for something? Do I have to keep a "cash account" in GnuCash, too?)
>
> Is this something I cannot do in GnuCash?
>
> Thanks for your feedback.
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 6:15 PM, David T. <sunfish62 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Robby--
> >
> >
> >Please keep this on the list.
> >
> >
> >The whole point of Gnucash being "double-entry" is that you HAVE to have
> your money come from one place and go somewhere else.
> >
> >
> >Take this example: you purchase a ream of paper for five dollars cash.
> The transaction would have:
> >
> >
> >Expenses:Supplies  -$5
> >Assets:Cash in Wallet:   -$5
> >
> >
> >In other words, you take money from your wallet and exchange it for a
> ream of paper. [Presumably, you got the cash into your wallet by
> withdrawing from your checking account, and the money in the checking
> account got there from your paycheck, which is listed as income]
> >
> >
> >To get an accounting of a particular expenses, you can create reports
> based on the specific account, covering a particular time frame.
> >
> >
> >You really should read more background on basic accounting, as well as
> the Gnucash Tutorial.
> >
> >
> >
> >HTH,
> >David
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >________________________________
> > From: Robby Burns <robbyburns2010 at gmail.com>
> >To: David T. <sunfish62 at yahoo.com>
> >Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 4:23 AM
> >
> >Subject: Re: Help with GnuCash! Why is there a “Rebate” column in the
> Expense account on GnuCash?
> >
> >
> >
> >Hi, David,
> >
> >
> >Okay...I understand what it is doing...now how can I stop it from doing
> that in this case?
> >
> >
> >I just want to add up all the expenses in different categories. I don't
> need to "balance" out the payments with a "rebate" from somewhere else.  Is
> it possible to change the "headers" on the columns?
> >
> >
> >Thanks for your reply.
> >
> >
> >
> >On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 9:33 PM, David T. <sunfish62 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >Robby:
> >>
> >>Try looking at
> http://gnucash.org/docs/v2.4/C/gnucash-guide/basics-accounting1.html
> >>
> >>You're seeing Gnucash enforcing the concept of Double-Entry bookkeeping.
> Money flows from one account to another.
> >>
> >>HTH,
> >>David
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>________________________________
> >> From: Yawar Amin <yawar.amin at gmail.com>
> >>To: Robby Burns <robbyburns2010 at gmail.com>
> >>Cc: "gnucash-user at gnucash.org" <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
> >>Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 5:47 PM
> >>Subject: Re: Help with GnuCash! Why is there a “Rebate” column in the
> Expense account on GnuCash?
> >>
> >>
> >>Hi,
> >>
> >>I am forwarding your email to the GnuCash users mailing list, which is a
> >>public discussion forum where everyone can benefit from sharing
> >>questions and answers. To participate in the mailing list, click the
> >>‘Reply All’ button in your email program whenever you get an email from
> >>someone in the list.
> >>
> >>Regards,
> >>
> >>Yawar
> >>
> >>On 2012-10-15 09:47, Robby Burns wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I am trying to set up an account where I can track my small business
> >>> expenses.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Whenever I enter a line item, and put the amount I spent under the
> >>> “Expense” column, the program creates a duplicate line item right
> >>> underneath my entry, but it enters the same amount under a
>  column
> >>> named “Rebate.”
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I do not want a Rebate. I just want to keep a running total of all the
> >>> Expenses, with the ability to subdivide the expenses into sub-accounts.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Hw do I get rid of the “Rebate” column?
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I cannot find the answer in the manual.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Thanks for your help.
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>gnucash-user mailing list
> >>gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> >>https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> >>-----
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> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
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