Darren New wrote:
>> automatically updates the groceries and clothes account to reflect this.
> 
> But then do you have a "trash" account for when you throw the clothes
> away again? If not, it's still single-entry bookkeeping. :-)

	Hmm...I'm sure it can be simulated: Just create another account called
Trash.

	You have a checking account with $1000. You buy clothes for $50. Your
checking account now shows $950. Your clothes now shows $50. If you want
to throw those clothes away and really want that to be reflected in the
clothes account, then create a transaction transfering $50 from clothes
to trash. Clothes is now back to $0, and trash says $50, but you can
ignore that. It has a way to handle money coming in from nowhere (e.g.
someone giving you money), so I'm sure you can throw away some as well...
	
>>     Not sure what you mean by different files. 
> 
> You can't have the same account in both a single-entry system and a
> double-entry system, is all I meant. I was clarifying that I didn't want
> it to do single-entry and double-entry bookkeeping at the same time.

	I think they just call it double entry bookkeeping to do it the way I
described. Money has to be debited from one account, and credited into
another.

>>     I know they have some download capabilities from banks. I somehow
>> doubt
>> it's as convenient as Quicken et. al. You can try it.
> 
> OK.  We get account statements with hundreds of lines of stuff on it
> each month, which would be ... tedious to enter by hand. It's already
> tedious just fixing the stuff that the format isn't designed to handle,
> like stock ticker names changing.

	You'll have to try it yourself - I've never done downloading via any
software. I just have two bank accounts + a few CC accounts. I input the
stuff into gnucash when I make my purchases, and validate them when I
get my paper statement.

>>     Export to tax software - what format does it expect it in? It has no
>> custom feature for this - just a generic export command.
> 
> There are some fairly standard formats for this, at least in the USA.
> Basically, the file says "add $X to line Y of form Z".

	I quite doubt it can interface with any tax software. The best case is
if the tax software can import some format that gnucash can output.
Don't hold your breath, though.

> When Intuit finishes pissing me off, I'll go read up on gnucash,
> assuming their documentation doesn't suck.

	Do note that I brought gnucash into the thread as a complaint, not as a
recommendation.<G>

-- 
"Apple I" (c) Copyright 1767, Sir Isaac Newton.


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