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

Thu Oct 18 19:00:20 EDT 2012

So...if I make charges on my credit card, and then pay the credit card at
the end of the month, the money will come out of my bank account...but it
will all come out as one lump some credit card payment?

or...do I go in each month and go line by line (off the credit card bill)
and enter the sub-category that I spent the money on...without showing that
it was an actual credit card payment?

And...with all politeness..I still have not received an answer as to how I
get rid of the "Rebate" header on the column. How do I change those headers?

If I want one to say "Expense"...what should the other ones say.

Maybe I am just too stupid to be using GnuCash.  Huh?

Robby

On Thu, Oct 18, 2012 at 5:40 PM, Richard Bishopp <rbishopp44 at gmail.com>wrote:

> 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.
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>_______________________________________________
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>> >>gnucash-user at gnucash.org
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>> >>-----
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>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >
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