[GNC] Don't understand why I have what I have

[Maf. King]

Hi,

Answers inline below...

On Saturday, 13 April 2019 09:14:39 BST ToddAndMargo via gnucash-user wrote:
> Hi All, especially Adrian,
> 
> Here is what I have so far.
> 
> I have two accounts:
>      "Little Visa", which is a Credit card account
>      "Little Visa -- Expense", which is an expense account
> 
> Credit card charges I have entered into "LittleVisa" (transfer column)
> as a "debit".  I get a corresponding "credit" in "little Visa--expense".
> 
> Payment go into "LittleVisa -- Expense" as a "debit".  I get
> a corresponding "credit" in "LittleVisa".
> 
> Every entry I have found on my bank statement I have placed a "c"
> for "checked" in the "R" column of "Little Visa".
> 
> I have about 15 entries
> 
> And will wonders ever cease, the "Balance" at the bottom is
> correct!
> 
> Confusions:
> 
> 1)  In "Transaction Journal", I have to assign each and every
>      transaction to "little visa" and "Little Visa--expense".
>      How do I make these two the default?

If you enter from the credit card account, that sets one "half" of the 
transaction to LittleVisa.  OVer time, if you have repeat purchases with the 
same description, GC will recall the "other" account.  EG eating again at 
Joe's diner will auto-fill a template transaction and all you will need to do 
is edit the sum of money.


> 
> 2)  In "Basic Journal", it shows everything as "LittleVisa -- Expense".
>      The balance is still correct.   Why not "LittleVisa"?

Presumably, you are in the basic journal for LittleVisa. so the other account 
is the expense half.  For your unusual use case, the other account is always 
the same.  for must of the rest of us, the other account might be 
Expenses:fuel or Expenses:Groceries etc.

> 
> 3)  When I press the "reconcile" button, it asked me for the "statement
>      date".  Is that the ending date on my bank statement?  If so,
>      it changes the "ending balance" to some bizarre number not
>      even close to the ending balance on the bank statement.  Why?

Yes, date is the ending date shown on your statement.  GC auto computes what 
is thinks the balance is at that date.  What GC thinks and what the bank think 
won't always agree, due to bank processing times etc.  Just edit the end 
balance to that of the statement, and all should be well in the end. 

> 
> 4)  If I try to enter a test charge, it goes into "Imbalance-USD".
>      I can change it back, but why?

Because you didn't set the "other account" to something?  GC *has* to balance 
a transaction that is entered, so if the credits != debits, it puts an 
imbalance line in - really it is gently saying that you've messed up and you 
need to re-assign that txn.  in your use case it probably isn't important, and 
you could put every txn to imbalance.

HTH,
Maf.


> 
> Many thanks,
> -T