I'll add some tips for any new user getting their feet wet building
their Chart of Accounts:
Put as much info into each transaction as you possibly can.
A. Use the Notes field (visible in Double Line mode) and put info in the
Memo fields for each Split. (if you don't know what Splits are yet, read
that section of the manual and learn them, you'll thank me later)
B. Don't combine individual line items from an invoice or receipt as an
attempt to 'speed up' data entry. Just enter each line item separately.
(especially tax) Here's why:
1. It takes time to do the math to combine the items. GnuCash does
math for you automatically.
2. You'll inevitably make math mistakes doing so and waste time. (did
I mention GnuCash handles math on the fly?)
3. A Memo field can only take so much text, so if you are combining
too much, you'll tend not to describe the items there as well.
4. Keeping each line item separate, and putting good descriptions in
the Memos allows you to split off or change accounts later without
making a mess or having to 'start over'. (this you will certainly
appreciate a few months down the road) If you combine items you later
want to put in different accounts, unless you have the original receipt,
or put the individual amounts in the memo, this will be impossible.
5. You'll end up saving lots of time for routinely purchased items,
and routinely visited stores because GnuCash utilizes an 'auto-fill'
based on previous entries. In most cases, after a few months of use,
what seemed like a daunting grocery receipt, is just a matter of tabbing
through, editing a word here or there, and adjusting a few prices.
6. GnuCash lets you 'attach' documents to transactions. Scan *every*
receipt and attach it. That way, if you have an issue later, you can
always correct it. (or if you didn't follow my above advice, you can
re-do the transaction split up correctly) It takes little time to scan
and save, and only a few clicks to attach the scan to a transaction.
C. As with any new software, it will take time to learn to use it
effectively. Not everything ends up being a 'time saver'. The point of
Accounting is to *spend* time now, so you have better information to
make decisions later, that are, hopefully, more productive or perhaps
less costly.
D. The best time to record (to 'Account' for) your financial activities
is as soon as possible after they occurred, so make it a daily habit.
That also keeps the workload down.
Regards,
Adrien
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