Thanks Dick and everyone who replied.

"Dick Watson" wrote:

- quote -

To Susan's point: perhaps we are leaping to a solution too quickly.

Note that I did suggest--see post this replies to--two scenarios for how to
treat this without creating a separate account to track all of the cash. My
assumption with both of these was that you already had accounts in Money and
wanted things like net worth reporting to be reasonably accurate.

If either of those assumptions are invalid, you can just put the
transactions in any old account and not worry about what they do to the
account balance or whatever else. If you want to create an account for these
memo transactions, set its opening balance to $0. Whatever its ending
balance gets to must not matter or you would have tracked the cash flow to
and fro in different ways to begin with.

In the other branch of the thread I posted:

"- Create a cash account to represent the cash I have in my pocket. Starting
balance is the amount of cash I have in my pocket--or, if you want to enter
transactions that already occurred, the amount I had before those occurred."

Note that you can use essentially any number for starting balance and still
enter these transactions. The only side effect will be that your net worth
reporting for the sum of all of your Money accounts will get all horked up.
If you don't care about this or are not using Money to track a sufficient
portion of your financial picture for it to matter, then so be it. If, OTOH,
this stuff is relevant to you, you just can't invent the money you spent for
this stuff out of thin air and expect the total picture to be valid, no
matter where/how you enter these transactions in Money.

If all you want to do is keep track of these transactions in a vacuum, just
make a note in notepad and file it away with your paper W-2s and your
1099/1098s.

"Thomharm" <Thomharm[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:03C8166E-913F-4068-A4B3-92DEE1BF22FB[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

I think you've got going down the wrong track with the "cash account" thing,
and we are all happily following you.

What I think you should do is forget about creating a separate account, and
enter your Job Expense:Nonreimbursed transactions in whatever account you
actually use to make the purchases. If you take the money out of your
checking account, for instance, it doesn't really matter whether you write a
check, swipe a debit card, or hit the ATM & give the cash to the vendor. You
would enter the check, debit, or ATM transaction as Job Expense:
Nonreimbursed.

Then you can track the expenses using the category. If you sometimes use
different accounts for the purchases, it will still work. You can run a
report "Spending by Category" and customize to show just that category.
There's your tax deduction amount.

Cash accounts can be very useful to keep a complete picture of your
finances. You just don't need one to get the result I think you're after.

If I missed the boat, go ahead & say so. Wouldn't be the first time.

Susan

"Thomharm" <Thomharm[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:03C8166E-913F-4068-A4B3-92DEE1BF22FB[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

Let's try to divide and conquer.

To keep track of types of income and expenses, enter transactions in some
account or other that are categorized in ways that work for you. In your
case a category like Job Expense:Non-reimbursed would be a good category.
Create something like that if necessary.

Now, what's "some account"? Well, if you used a credit card for the Job
Expense:Non-reimbursed, the tracking the transaction in the Credit Card
account would be good. Ditto checking if you wrote a check. But if it was
cash out of your pocket? What many of us do is create an account in Money to
represent the "virtual account" held at the "bank of my wallet". Say you get
$20 from Checking at the ATM? Enter it as a Transfer:My Wallet. Spend $20
cash for Foodining Out? Enter the transaction in the My Wallet account.

Did you read the previous posting about how to handle cash in general? It
goes into this at more depth.

If you don't want to generally track your cash, but have a specific need
like this, here are two more possibilities:

1) Say you enter ATM withdrawals from Checking as a Miscellaneous
transaction in the Checking account. Split that into cash you don't want to
track and the Job Expense:Non-reimbursed you do want to keep track of.

2) Enter a $0 total transaction in Checking. Split it into a Job
Expense:Non-reimbursed component and an equal but negative "Other
Income:Cash not accounted for" amount or just leave the offsetting amount
unassigned. This puts the expense against the correct category and doesn't
change the account balance. Immediately mark the transaction Reconciled so
that you don't have to see it when you balance the account. Think of this as
a virtual transaction.

"Thomharm" <Thomharm[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6963A38B-10A8-43A1-802E-EABED6444483[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

"Thomharm" <Thomharm[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6963A38B-10A8-43A1-802E-EABED6444483[at]microsoft.com...

- quote -

You can allocate some of your ATM withdrawals, if you like. Or just add
deposits from nowhere, if that's easier.
--
Chris Cowles
Gainesville, FL

Thanks Dick, I am talking about non-reimbursable job related cash out of
pocket. I just want to keep a record of it for tax deductions. I think I
understand about creating a account and keeping the net o. Seems like a pain.
Do I just add what cash I use, like a deposit ? Or do I just keep a journal
somewhere else for ease. I was trying to keep it in money for easy access to
present to my accountant.
Also I have a simular problem, my wife payed personal bills out of her
business account because she ran out of personal checks. I have told her in
the past not to, but do women listen? Any way, How can I straighten this out
in money as far as car payment and morgage ect. I have been racking my brain
trying to figure this out.
Thanks for any help you can give me.

"Dick Watson" wrote:

- quote -

In microsoft.public.money, Thomharm wrote:

- quote -

You can start with whatever you have in your pocket-- even $0.

A reimbursable account **may** be a slightly different problem. See
http://umpmfaq.info/faqdb.php?q=36 for alternate methods. What I'd do,
consistent with data from my other post to this thread, is:

- Create a cash account to represent the cash I have in my pocket. Starting
balance is the amount of cash I have in my pocket--or, if you want to enter
transactions that already occurred, the amount I had before those occurred.

- Enter transactions, category Job Expense:Reimbursable

You can the do a transaction report for categories Job Expense:Reimbursable
and Other Income:Job Expense Reimbursement (or whatever you use) to make
sure the expenses and the income net to $0.

"Thomharm" <Thomharm[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
newsF992D61-369A-4287-AA13-E3D4FE3D5D71[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

Thanks, But the cash account wants a balance. how do I bypass, I am just
useing pocket cash, but I want to keep track of non-reinbersed job related
out of pocket cash I use for tools, supplys ect, for a tax write off.

"Dick Watson" wrote:

- quote -

Update How? Do I create a cash account? I kinda tried it, But it wants a
balance of what money is in it. I am useing out of pocket. and this seems
like Thats not the right way. What I am tring to do is keep track of non-
reinbursed job related small tools ect. for tax reasons.

"Cymbal Man Freq." wrote:

- quote -

See http://umpmfaq.info/faqdb.php?q=93.

"Thomharm" <Thomharm[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2B22D748-77C1-4B93-AD72-1D3291ABBFFF[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

Save your receipts, and put them in an envelope. Update Money every week or two.

"Thomharm" <Thomharm[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2B22D748-77C1-4B93-AD72-1D3291ABBFFF[at]microsoft.com...
| What is the best way to track cash purchases. Such as out of pocket job
| related cash purchases. ect.
| I am useing money standard 2003.

What is the best way to track cash purchases. Such as out of pocket job
related cash purchases. ect.
I am useing money standard 2003.