YNAB question: I was in the store and somebody said "can you pick up something for me", and paid me back after. Is it worth it to now split the expense and categorize both sides as something like "reimbursments" or should I just leave it and keep the expense as groceries, and income as regular income to assign?

Hey Avi! When you buy something for someone else and they pay you back, it's a good idea to split the expense in YNAB. Here's how you can do it simply: 1. Split the Expense: When you enter the transaction, split it into two parts. One part is for your groceries, and the other part is for the item you bought for your friend. 2. Categorize the Reimbursement: For the part you bought for your friend, you can use a category like 'Reimbursements'. This helps you keep track of what you are owed. 3. Record the Payback: When your friend pays you back, enter that as an inflow to the 'Reimbursements' category. This way, it balances out and shows that you got your money back. This method helps you keep your budget accurate and makes sure you know where your money is going and coming from. If you just leave it as groceries and regular income, it might mess up your budget categories and reports. So, splitting and categorizing is the best way to go!

this sort of answers my question. It's just that it creates a lot of work for me....

What about the option of categorizing the whole expense as groceries and then categorizing the income as groceries also? (assuming they pay you back right away and it ends up in the same month)

that's a possiblity what would you do if they paid you back the next month?

I personally have this type of situation so often that I just pay for it in my groceries category and then when I get the zelle or paypal to pay me back, I put it in groceries even if it's the next month. It's such a small percentage of my grocery budget that I don't really care if it throws my numbers off from month to month, as long as I do get paid back eventually.

I do the same as @incalculable-toothbrush-90475