"Figuring out Money" <FiguringoutMoney[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:0C1DD4FF-A7A9-4D5D-BC11-8D3C6B55B666[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

Look at your past spending and find common transactions and group them.
Create categories based on those. Also use a "Misc" category for
miscellaneous items.

The default list is a good starting place once you delete the stupid ones
like "Credit Card Payments/Transfers" and "Not an expense".

Over the years they have eliminated many subcategories like
Automobile:Gasoline and Food:Groceries/Foodining Out. Their usability lab
testing must have told them that brand new users don't like/understand
these. Of course, they never do usability lab testing on people who have
used it for three months and begun to realize how limiting the "dumbed down"
stuff that Microsoft thought made new users all warm and fuzzy really is.

There is no one right answer to your question. You want categories that help
you understand where your money is coming from/going to. Most long time
users from time to time add new categories, merge old ones, delete some, and
re-categorize some things when they decide the original way isn't working
for them.

Don't use Money Essentials.

Don't use the Essential * modes.

"Figuring out Money" <FiguringoutMoney[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:0C1DD4FF-A7A9-4D5D-BC11-8D3C6B55B666[at]microsoft.com...
- quote -

Hi,

Does anybody have "recommended" categories.

I know you can setup categories anyway you would like and use the reports to
group them but it seems like somebody must have figured out the best approach.

Thanks,