YNAB You Need A Budget

[bdjengs]

This has probably been brought up before...

I would appreciate having a dedicated box for check number. Currently, I have to use the memo field for this. Having a check number field would make it easier to sort out the transactions for which I wrote a check. Anyone else...?

[rebecca]

I'm neutral on this issue so I didn't vote.

[WairereRose]

Once it gets to the point where we have reconciliation facilities I'd prefer to have something to record the cheque number in. Mind you, I'm spoiled with Quicken at the moment - it will track the last cheque number for each account so that when I record how the payment was made (cash, eftpos, telephone transfer, cheque number), if it is a cheque I just type n in the box and it brings up the next cheque number for that account. So long as that is the number on the cheque I've just written I'm ok - sometimes it isn't and I have to race back to the cheque book to see what I wrote out and didn't record

[Cashmeister]

Once it gets to the point where we have reconciliation facilities I'd prefer to have something to record the cheque number in. Mind you, I'm spoiled with Quicken at the moment - it will track the last cheque number for each account so that when I record how the payment was made (cash, eftpos, telephone transfer, cheque number), if it is a cheque I just type n in the box and it brings up the next cheque number for that account. So long as that is the number on the cheque I've just written I'm ok - sometimes it isn't and I have to race back to the cheque book to see what I wrote out and didn't record

I agree...this would certainly help to make YNAB 'THE' program.

Even if the extra field was optional, it would be helpful.

[DavidB]

I definately vote YES.

[relin]

YES! YES! YES! right now i just write the check number in the memo column

[Mudie]

I'm for it once they work setup wizards into the program such that a "checking" account would have the extra column but since a cash or savings style account has little use for that column, it would best be not there for those types of accounts.

Steve

[Patzer]

I'm for it once they work setup wizards into the program such that a "checking" account would have the extra column but since a cash or savings style account has little use for that column, it would best be not there for those types of accounts.

Steve

I've managed to maintain Quicken for 15 years while ignoring that extra column in the non-checking accounts. I've haunted a decent Quicken discussion group and read about a lot of newbie problems about really simple stuff, but never once read about someone confused by the extra column for check number in the non-checking accounts. I think the YNAB user base is bright enough to handle a column for check number in all the accounts. Folks will probably find something else to use it for where check numbers don't exist.

Patzer

[Mudie]

I think the YNAB user base is bright enough to handle a column for check number in all the accounts. Folks will probably find something else to use it for where check numbers don't exist.

I agree. I was just pondering options, it's no biggie.

Steve

[jesse]

Internally we don't store types of accounts, which this would necessitate. There could be additional reasons to store it in the future, like different warnings or prompts when working in a CC account vs. a checking account vs. a cash account.

[jasonkruys]

Personally, as nice as it would be, I think another column on the register would be starting to get too much (perhaps, as I'm fairly neutral on this at the moment ). The cheque/check number could be put into the comments just as easily enough.

The reason I am using YNAB is because it 'makes budgeting twice as effective in half the time', is simple to use, and does what it is supposed to do very well. Most recent additions are most welcome, and I feel they fall in line with the aim of YNAB, but I feel eventually we are going to get to the point where we are going to try and add too much. YNAB was never designed to replace programs like quicken etc...We could add features here, there, and everywhere, and perhaps eventually lose sight of what YNAB was really trying to do eventually..

Actually, I'm not fussed either way, I never use cheques, and I am a gadget man that has a gadget/spreadsheet/program for EVERYTHING, so it could never be too complicated for me...perhaps I have just put this argument forward to play devils advocate a little

[ctp]

One nice thing about a check number field is that it could detect if the same number were entered twice.

[sloejack]

I suspect that this is a pretty subjective topic. Those that don't use checks (cheques?) don't want it or don't care. I used MS Money for a number of years, and at times I miss it for tracking my overall portfolio of bank, credit, and stock accounts but even though it had the column in its register I never used it and in general mostly ignored it. It would auto-populate from the bank on the rare occasions that I actually wrote a check for things that I couldn't use my debit card for but in terms of my money in/money out tracking whether it was a check, cash, credit never mattered.

I think that's the case here as well if I understand the rules properly. It doesn't matter in what form the money gets spent, only that it's accounted for as an outflow and assigned it's appropriate category for budgeting purposes. So, I voted no since I'd rather the screen real estate be used for a wider memo field. Then again adjustable field widths would be nice, but that's a topic for a different thread.

[Mudie]

...I'd rather the screen real estate be used for a wider memo field.

I'm not sure if you are aware or not but in the Settings you can opt for showing 2 rows in the register effectively making the memo field nearly the full width of the register.

Row option in the Settings window.

2008-01-31_070842.jpg (23.49 KiB) Viewed 3815 times

Steve

[brookh]

Internally we don't store types of accounts, which this would necessitate. There could be additional reasons to store it in the future, like different warnings or prompts when working in a CC account vs. a checking account vs. a cash account.

It seems the field would be useful for many folks for some of their (checking) accounts.

I suggest YNAB Pro have a Check Number field that can be shown or hidden for each account according to a checkbox on the "Create a New Account"/"View or Edit Properties of an Existing Account" pop-up window.

/voted 'Yes'