# A pox on my accounting skills.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pox-on-my-accounting-skills/293233
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [March 6, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pox-on-my-accounting-skills/293233 "2005-03-06T19:21:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pox-on-my-accounting-skills/293233/1 "2005-03-06T19:21:56Z")
Shit! Why do I always have this problem? I use MS Money to keep abreast of my spending, before that, I used a spreadsheet. Why is it that after a year or so I always see a huge discrepancy between what my bank is telling me and what my digital checkbook is saying?? I make a strong effort to enter every transaction, and when that fails, I download all credits and debits from the bank into Money. And there is STILL a discrepancy?!?! I scan through and look at every single transaction, and they ALL have the little “E” that marks when they have been confirmed by a download from the financial institution. How can 2 different computers hae 2 different answers given the same set of seemingly simple arithmatic? Or am I just a moron?
[pirate face]
ARRRGH! :mad:
[/pf]
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### Author:  [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pox-on-my-accounting-skills/293233/2 "2005-03-06T21:05:00Z")
It’s accrual world.
[sub]Yes, I just made an accounting joke.[/sub]
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pox-on-my-accounting-skills/293233/3 "2005-03-06T21:11:23Z")
It’s probably because your bank is counting some transaction that hasn’t shown up on your statement yet. That happens to me all the time.
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### Author:  [@High\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/High_Cheese)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pox-on-my-accounting-skills/293233/4 "2005-03-06T21:53:20Z")
> [@scout1222](#):
>
> It’s accrual world.
>
> [sub]Yes, I just made an accounting joke.[/sub]
Correction. You just perpetuated an accounting joke.
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### Author:  [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pox-on-my-accounting-skills/293233/5 "2005-03-06T22:07:19Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> It’s probably because your bank is counting some transaction that hasn’t shown up on your statement yet. That happens to me all the time.
Or you’re counting some transaction that never made it to your bank; that happens to me all the – well, it’s happened.
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### Author:  [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pox-on-my-accounting-skills/293233/6 "2005-03-06T22:37:12Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> It’s probably because your bank is counting some transaction that hasn’t shown up on your statement yet. That happens to me all the time.
I waited 2 weeks one time without writing any checks or buying anything to make sure all checks and transactions had cleared. It probably is some dumbass mistake I’m making, but darned if I can find it.