unofficial microsoft.public.money FAQ and A
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How to do things in Money: Financial Situations

Q) How do I 'mark' money in an account for future use so I don't spend it now?

A) Lots of people want to do this with some mechanism like the accounts-within-an-account "subaccounts" mechanism that Quicken provides. Money provides no similar mechanism. Money, instead, provides tools to manage budget--what you plan to spend when for what--separately from cash flow--managing the amount of cash available to execute the budget. Many of us prefer the latter approach since it leaves behavior modification--not spending money just because you have a positive balance--up to us rather than resorting to subterfuge to "fake ourselves out" by "cookie jar accounting." YMMV.

When a poster said that he was looking for a "cookie jar" mechanism since lack of one meant the money "has to show in the checking account because it is there, but I don't want to think the money is mine by seeing it in the balance," David Brownridge put it very well:

"The way I deal with that is to leave the money in the cheque acct, and in Bills & Deposits create a Bill (with frequency Only Once) and the appropriate future date. Until that "bill" is paid the money will show in the balance of the account; but if you look at the forecast for the account you'll see where it gets withdrawn.

"The important point is that in terms of 'think what money is mine' I never just look at the balances in the accounts list; rather I check out the cashflow forecasts."

Please see this disclaimer if you are using Money 2005 or this comment if you are using Money 2006.

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