How to avoid using non-budgeted categories

9Scoops

I've been playing around with the budgeting tools recently and struggling with how to make sure I don't accidentally categorize transactions for something I haven't budgeted. In short, I only want to use budgeted categories in my dropdown list when categorizing a transaction. My dropdown list in categories shows basically everything available that quicken offers.

My questions are:

1. Is there a way to limit my list of categories to only ones that have a budgeted amount?
2. Is there a way to make all non-budgeted expenses fall in a catch-all bucket (i.e. Misc)
3. If not, is there a way to quickly look up categories that I selected that fall outside the budget?

Thanks for any insight!

Jon

You could Hide any categories that you haven't budgeted, that way they wouldn't show up in the list of categories when assigning one to a new transaction (this is done in the Categories window). I don't know if there's an easy way to create a list of categories that have or have not been budgeted.

9Scoops

That sounds like a pretty good option. I'll give it a try and see how it goes. Appreciate it!

michaelweinberg

I had issue with that, too. I just changed the categories I didn't use to start with "XXX." For example, if there were a category called "Pets," I would change it to "XXXPets." That way, when I see it populate in a download, I can instantly see that it's a category I don't use and I can change it to one I do use.

9Scoops

Another really good idea I hadn't thought of. Appreciate the response!

newcastlelinda

You can also Delete some categories … if you are sure you will never want them. Sometimes the Quicken built in categories are redundant to my categories I’ve created many years ago and have followed me though all the updates. So I sometimes Boldly Delete them! D😅

Yeah, some of us have 30+ years of history in our Quicken data files!