I am using Quicken 2010 Premier. I would like to understand "discretionary" categories a bit better.
I just went through all my categories and I edited the ones that I consider non-discretionary spending. Specifically, I right-clicked on each of these categories, selected "edit," and in the ensuing dialog box, I checked the box marked "spending is non-discretionary."
I would like to know how I can use this "spending is non-discretionary" attribute that I just applied.
Regarding the above general question, I executed the standard report named "Spending by Category." I customized it to select only the Category Group "Discretionary." The resulting report was empty. Similarly, I customized the report to select only the category group "Mandatory Expenses." The report was again empty.
So far I have learned that the attribute "spending is non-discretionary" of a category has no relationship to the Category Groups "Discretionary" and "Mandatory Expenses" found in the Reports Center.
Should I avoid using the "spending is non-discretionary" attribute of categories? Maybe it does not do anything at all.
What is the best way to generate reports of discretionary spending in Quicken?
Thanks for any explanations.