I have searched and searched and learned a lot But...

[Edward Doolittle]

Regarding your budget question, there are a couple of features that might
help. First, you don't have to enter an amount for each account for each
month. There should be an "Estimate" button. Highlight the account you want
to estimate and click the "Estimate" button. Choose a date one year before
the start of your budget, change the number of significant digits if you
wish (I use 2), then GnuCash will estimate each month's income/expenses for
that account. You can then modify by hand if you wish. I mostly just
estimate income and expense accounts, but when there are significant
one-way transfers to assets (e.g., pension) or liabilities (e.g., mortgage,
car payment), you should include estimates for those accounts as well.

To see the actual spend column, go to Reports > Budget > Budget Report and
make sure Options > Display > Show Actual is checked.

To see difference columns, Options > Display > Show Difference.

You can then save the report for quicker access later.

The budgeting feature is not great, but it is serviceable. If you want to
do more with the data, you can export to HTML and import into a spreadsheet.

On 28 January 2015 at 15:09, chrstdvd <chrstdvd at gmail.com> wrote:

> As anyone trying this program for the first time, I am lost.  Even this
> forum, if it is a forum, is mysterious.  When I decided to post, i had to
> sign up for a "mailing list",  I still have not received the email that was
> supposed to come from that process.  So while I wait for that I will type
> this.
>
> After several experimental imports, I learned to set up a Blank file with
> the Default Placeholders and accounts.  Then I deleted all the accounts
> except the placeholders. I saved that in a folder Documents > GnuCash >
> Empty.   I opened the Empty file and Saved it to Documents > GnuCash >
> DavidandAnn > DavidandAnn.  Then I imported my Quicken Data QIF file.  I
> assigned all my old Categories from Quicken to the Income, Expense, Asset
> and Liability Placeholders and from what I can see, all my memorized payees
> are in the Gnu file too.
>
> So far, so good, everything matches between my Quicken file and my GnuCash
> file Account Balances except the Expense and Income Accounts seem to be
> perpetual, from the beginning of the file which in my case is 12/31/2013,
> while the Asset accounts, checking, savings, fixed etc are correct and
> current.
>
> Import worked perfectly.
>
> Then I tried to create a Budget.  What a PITA!  It is like Quicken 2012
> where you have to put a budget figure into each Account for each month.
> Then when I pull a budget report all I get is a report that "looks" cool
> but
> it only has my budget figures.
>
> 1.png <http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/file/n4675462/1.png>
>
> Now how do I get the actual spent and difference columns?
>
> And while I am complaining, choosing Accounts for inclusion in a report,
> any
> report, is very tedious and trial and error.  I found tons of "JUST select
> or deselect" but it took a hundred searches to finally find this link about
> "how to Select".
>
>
> http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/Selecting-multiple-accounts-in-reports-td3448256.html
>
> That works pretty good, but if you make a mistake, you have to start all
> over.  You need to expand every thing that is expandable, then start at the
> top and follow the instructions for each account you want in a report.
>
> Is there an easier way?
>
> How do you back up your file?  What in the ton of files in the folder do
> you
> back up?
>
> I have a bunch of other questions, but I will see if i get any response to
> this one.
>
> If anyone reads this, thanks for doing that much.
> David M Christopher, chrstdvd on a ton of forums.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
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-- 
Edward Doolittle
Associate Professor of Mathematics
First Nations University of Canada
1 First Nations Way, Regina SK S4S 7K2

« Toutes les fois que je donne une place vacante, je fais cent mécontents
et un ingrat. »
-- Louis XIV, dans Voltaire, Le Siècle de Louis XIV, Chap. XXVI