In microsoft.public.money, dirk.devos[at]usa.net wrote:

- quote -

Set up an account. You could call it a cash or other type. When you
send your check, do a SPECIAL Transfer from checking to utilities.
When you get a bill amount, enter the expenditure in the Spending
column.

Alternatively, you might try customizing a report to give you the
info you are looking for without the extra step.

I sometime pay my utilities in advance and would like to track it like
an account. When I pay them, I would like to see an entry in the
account indicating that I sent them money and then when I receive my
bill at the end of the month, I want to add an entry to show what the
charge was and then see what my ballance is. Basically I want to set
up my phone bill like my bank account.