YNAB You Need A Budget

[maryea]

I so seldom write a check it doesn't matter to me.

[lehite]

I have been struggling to implement this program. I just now realized there is no place for check numbers, which to me is VITAL. I pay for things by electronic transfer, by VISA card, and by check, and I always note how something was paid. That way if I have to research anything (my mortgage company says they did not receive a payment, I can go back to the register and see that it was an electronic funds transfer, for example) it is at my fingertips. I may give up on this program altogether. I need a budget but I ALSO need good accurate records for preparing my taxes each year and be able to find information quickly.

[Bertha]

I've been just putting check numbers in the memo field. I imagine if I needed to keep track of whether it was paid with the visa, I could put Visa in the memo field instead. IIRC you can sort by the memo field just like you can the other memo fields. Maybe that'll help you keep track of what you need to track?

[Ted Kennedy]

A check number field would be very helpful. It would help detect duplicates, and would help with bank reconciliations.

[WairereRose]

Not only in detecting duplicates - when I enter in Quicken, for the cheque number I type 'n' (for next). If the number that comes up on the screen is not the number on the cheque I'm writing out, then I've written some out when away from home and they need to go in there as well. This happens often to me.

[DavidPorterHolt]

Definitely. And a checkbox for "Reconciled" would be nice to.

[SwimMom]

Yes, this would be helpful. I noticed that some of the checks/dates get mixed around when imported from the bank. Sometimes the same transaction (check) gets listed separately and you have to figure out where to find the one you entered and what it was for. Other times, they do match up but then it moves if the bank date is different. The checks that you had in order are in order no more.

[avlor]

Yes, please! I don't write many checks. But when I do they are often for similar amounts (i.e. to the school). I like to know which ones cleared and which didn't, so if a check does get lost I know who lost it and what to do about it. (i.e. school lunches, if kiddo lost the envelope on way to school.) While I'm trying out YNAB, I'm entering the number in the memo field.

I would also love a reconciliation option. I know y'all consider it old school. But it helps me find numbers I accidentally turned around. I can look at a list of numbers repeatedly and not find that problem. (Perhaps a bit of dyslexia? Dunno.) But the traditional reconciliation has always helped me find those mistakes. (Just to know where I'm coming from. I'm considering transfering to YNAB from Crown Money Map, for simplicity. But I will REALLY miss the reconciliation and being able to look at the total of my accounts (I included my house, investments, etc) for an easy view of my "net worth".)

[Bertha]

I would also love a reconciliation option. I know y'all consider it old school. But it helps me find numbers I accidentally turned around. I can look at a list of numbers repeatedly and not find that problem. (Perhaps a bit of dyslexia? Dunno.) But the traditional reconciliation has always helped me find those mistakes. (Just to know where I'm coming from. I'm considering transfering to YNAB from Crown Money Map, for simplicity. But I will REALLY miss the reconciliation and being able to look at the total of my accounts (I included my house, investments, etc) for an easy view of my "net worth".)

No need to miss it--YNAB has reconciliation now! You can get the latest version in this thread.

[hoppie]

And isn't the reconciliation just so good! Nice work Taylor

[HOSER]

ABSOLUTELY! I am transitioning from my own excel spreadsheet and could not believe that YNAB does not have a field to put the check number in. It is an absolute must as far as I am concerned. As others have said, I am right now putting check numbers in the Memo field.

[petedaws]

By "cheque" do you mean those paper things that you write values on, sign and hand them over to people? I didn't even know those things still existed!

It might be useful to have an "id" field to record the receipt numbers or "cheque" numbers for a given transaction. But at least make it generic.

Better still, allow users to define their own meta-data attributes for given line-items in the register.

[Mudie]

By "cheque" do you mean those paper things that you write values on, sign and hand them over to people? I didn't even know those things still existed!

I'm with you. We write about 10 paper checks per year, if that, nowadays.

Steve

[WairereRose]

They are still fairly common here. Thus far this year I have written around 30 so far between my two cheque accounts.

[J.Mann]

I originally replaied that i wanted an extra field for check numbers, but i don't think it is necessary. Just keep putting them in the Memo field. We don't need any other columns in the register, especially since everything is crammed into one row now.