[in progress] Custom Categories

[Damon]

Hi Folks,

We get a lot of requests for custom category creation & for specific categories. Custom categories are a little bit more complicated right now, largely due to the fact that it would be hard to incorporate w/some of the other features on the site (Spending Trends, Budgeting, etc.).

What are the top categories you would like to see added? The categories below are what I generally see requested from folks:

1. Public Transportation.
2. Business Expenses
3. Reimbursable Expenses
4. Bars, Nightlife

Are there any others missing? I am trying to look for a specific # of requests about certain categories (I will also combine this with the incoming customer service contacts I have tagged).

[whetherly]

I'm sure others have suggested this (and you're probably working on it):

Labels (can we call them tags?) can really help with the lack of custom categories, but they need to be "sticky." I.e., the "add a label" dialog needs a "create a rule" checkbox, as in the categorization dialog, which associates that label with future transactions with that merchant.

I'd also suggest a second checkbox in the same dialog to create a rule associating the label with the category (if one is assigned to the transaction from which the add label dialog was triggered). Then the labelling can leverage Mint's automatic categorization and doesn't have to be done manually.

This latter suggestion is part of my own request for custom categories filed here:
http://forums.mint.com/showthread.php?p=5713#post5713

[hpbrad]

definitely the bars/nightlife category

[schnelld]

I agree with the Bars category as well, it would be a great addition.

[adeena]

Hi!

I agree with the top categories for adding and would like to suggest two more:

Alimony
Auto - Tolls

Also, what about a category under each called "User Definable"? This might be a bit easier than having folks create their own - if each main category had a "User1", "User2", etc, I could see that as solving some of the issues. (As a software programmer, I can understand your integration issues and could see how this could help.)

Thanks!

-Adeena

[jacksonm1234]

You're scaring me Damon. You're making it sound like custom categories will not be happening in the near future. Is that what you're inferring?

[Damon]

I am trying to state that doing so quickly would actually cause some problems on our end. It is still something that we're looking at:)

[williamjuliusallen@gmail.]

Reimbursement as an income category would be nice, especially at tax time.

[leloudis]

Subscriptions

[ew6050]

I would suggest the following:
- Separate categories for mortgage principal and mortgage interest.
- Under taxes add Property Tax as a type.

[robtherealtor]

How about a category under Business Expenses for "Reimburseable Expenses" (as an ofset to reimbursements).

Thanks
Rob

[Phenomalik]

I just want to chime in on the Business Expenses category. That would be ideal. Half of my transactions need to be recategorized to that.

Also, the option to do custom categories would be ideal in the long run. Perhaps people can just know that any custom categories won't receive detailed analysis against other people's spending habits or your budgets, but will just exist. That's good enough for me.

Great site.

[Damon]

I have my own thoughts on how we could make this work...I also appreciate the feedback on additional categories.

[Tekagirl]

I vote for the 4 categories mentioned in your first post, plus the work reimbursable & reimbursements... that happens for me a lot & it's helpful to be able to track them.
thanks!

[larry91403]

One of the problems I have is that I might take out 300 in cash at the ATM but I want to catagorize it in multiple ways... 200 to Baby care, 50 to food etc... There needs to be a way to split a transaction.

[suchintha]

Hi,

I agree with the new categories other users have suggested. In addition, I would like to see Home Association Fees under Home catogory.

Instead of suggesting new categories through this forum, would it be easier to add a section in the categories page where users can suggest new categories they would like to see. That way you can review suggestions and add them to the main list according to popularity. This might be a better solution in the interim while you figure out a way to add the custom category option.

Thanks.

[perfectm]

Personally, I would like to see more options under the Income field. One that is important to me is "Rental Income". I work a full time job, but have two properties that bring in rental income on a monthly basis. It would be nice if I could track those two items separately, rather than lumping it all in together.

[suchko]

Kids & Education - Activities (i.e., soccer, ballet)
Home - Household supplies (cleaning supplies, towels, other things do not really fit into furnishings which I read as "furniture")

[Aron2roy]

How about an option to add your own category. I would hate for the categories to get all cluttered up. I like the fact the ones there are useful and not a bunch of garbage. Sure adding a few more wouldn't hurt, but please don't let it get cluttered. Instead give us users an option to create our own category if we want. That way people who want to get very detailed can, and the other aren't forced to sort through large amounts.

[ddefebbo]

I would like to see an option for convenience foods, meaning food items I buy at a convenience store or gas station.

[eclipse785]

I think the categories need more deposit options. For example, you have nothing for "Savings" or types of savings.

[julietgl@gmail.com]

Need more shopping categories: Toiletries, Household supplies, et al.

Need parking tickets (and other car fees ... inspections and such.)

Need a way to flag any transaction category as business-related. The people that need a site like Mint.com have complicated spending. Without a way to really deal with it, the site has very limited value to me.

[guacmaster]

Dry Cleaning (maybe under Personal Care?)
ESPP (under Income)
Options Exercise (under Income)

[guacmaster]

Tax preparation (under Taxes, Business Services, or Kids & Education)

[boroc7]

Damon,

Many of these suggestions are great--especially the category of business expenses.

I just wanted to say, great work on this website--it's by far the best looking, most useful website I've seen regarding free personal finances, and you all should be commended. Keep it up!
:D

[carolmr]

I think the categories ya'll have are pretty funny. A category for coffee shop expenses and nothing for regular savings, college savings or retirement!

I don't think it is possible to create a standard set of categories that works for everyone without ending up with a list of 1000 categories. I can see how standard categories work with the spending trends and savings suggestions, but this may end up being a deal breaker for me. I have to search through the list of categories, only half of which I use, I have to make up silly rules so your categories will work (Hair includes makeup, perfume, and dry cleaning) and some things I just can't include (our rental house).

[twisty7867]

I am OK with most of the categories as they are, but one thing we do is set aside a certain amount of money each month for each family member to do what they like, eat out, buy something, whatever. I need a way that even if Poquito Más falls into the restaurant category, to apply it to the "Nathan's Personal Funds" label for budgeting purposes.

[loebster1]

In the absence of being able to create your own, I agree with the four you mention, as well as one for Alcohol/beer/wine. That's a particular subset of the "grocery" category that should stand on its own.

[phnominon]

I second the suggestion for a tolls category, we spend allot there and it doesn't really fit anywhere else. I also saw a suggestion for convenience foods. I like that idea as it would show how much I spend on junk food versus groceries, which is where it goes now.

I am not sure this is the right place for this suggestions but how about some way to categorize things by amount. I buy junk food at gas stations, and only spend 5 or 6 bucks, but since it shows up the same on my statement as when I buy gas, it prevents me from using the apply this label to all transactions feature. If we could apply a different label for transactions say under 20 bucks, as opposed to the 50 or 60 bucks I spend on gas that would save me allot of time categorizing all the entries for the same gas stations.

[mintfeedback]

It would be ideal to have a category for "Savings." (I'm kind of astonished that one doesn't exist considering "pay yourself first" seems to be a mantra of the financial management crowd).

It would be even more ideal to have Savings subcategories:
- Retirement Savings
- College Savings
- General Savings

Thanks for a great tool! This might be one that I actually use.

[rkg]

I need the following categories:

Public transportation
Kids Allowance
Kids activities(ballet, band, etc.)
Auto fees -liscence sticker,city sticker
water bill

all other suggestions were good, too.

[israldebruin]

This could be tricky (I don't know anything about programming, but it seems as if it's a plausable Web 2.0 feature), but I'd like to see the category lists be collapsable.
The idea is this: when you first click 'categories' it only shows you your most frequently used ones. Then there's a 'see more' button or a plus sign that lets you see the rest... expand the view to show all the options.

An alternative to this would be to have a HUGE library of possible categories and then let users pick and choose which ones they want on their category pallatte. That way, all of the in-demand categories could be included, but clutter wouldn't be a worry. Then everyone would only see what they use regularly but could quickly add additional ones as they come up.

[journey4640]

We need to add cigarettes as a category. Whether we want to admit it or not we have smokers still out there.

[agandhi]

Thanks for working on this. I am finding Mint extremely useful but this is the one thing that is still preventing me from relying on it completely.

Here are my suggestions:

under Auto: Tolls, Public Transportation
under Bills & Utilities: Water, Electric, Gas/Oil
under Personal Care: Dry Cleaning
under Home: Housecleaning, Landscaping
under Shopping: Household Supplies
under Food & Dining: Alcohol
under Entertainment: Magazines/Newspapers
under Kids & Education: Children's Clothing, Infant/Toddler Gear & Supplies

Thanks again- I look forward to seeing an option soon for more categories or the ability to customize!

[sp1978]

I agree custom fields would be best.
Other categories I would find helpful are:

under income:
freelance income

under home:
laundromat
household products
home office expenses

under food:
liquor
bar

under shopping:
magazines

under clothing/accessories:
tailor
dry cleaning

under personal care:
toiletries
makeup
wax
manicure/pedicure

[Miller]

Hi, while I can appreciate custom categories will be difficult to implement, I want to throw my vote in on making it happen. Maybe just a whole new approach needs to be taken? I find it very strange that "coffee shop" has its own category when there is nothing for "savings" or "IRA."

Again, I realize I'm offering up the same old problem without a solution, but I doubt you'll ever be able to add all the categories yourself to satisfy everyone.

One solution I've thought about is actually using all your categories but ignore their true meaning. Basically, remap them myself on a piece of paper. "phone" will mean "bar money" and "business services" will be the overall category "outdoor spots."

Then, I can use all your cool tools (spending trends and budgeting) -- I just have to map over what really means what to me.

I'm not software engineer, but taking that idea and pushing it on you guys seems easy enough... Just rename every overall category as "category 1", "category 2" etc. And each sub category as another generic name. (sub cat 1.1, sub cat 1.2, whatever). Then allow the user to rename those titles (for display purposes only). Since the renaming is only for display purposes, the backbone code, tools, etc should be unaffected.

Anyway, I could very well be completely out to lunch... haha. I guess this wouldn't well with your "compare to others" tool since it means something different to everyone.

[joleta]

Rebates category under Income

[johncwilson06]

Please add Nightlife/Bars to the categories.

[hazmat]

User created custom categories would be best, and I'm not sure I can abandon quicken without them. In the meantime I need some related to my rental property.

rental income
rental expense
rental other

Lastly - it would be nice to create rules that are associated with each account vs. a certain dollar amount or vendor. I have a separate checking account for my rental property - everything paid out of there should be a "rental expense"

[MrsV]

I would also like to see a Household category and a Children's clothing and/or infant/toddler supplies.

Also there is no nice place to indicate a money transfer to a different account.

[Pylon]

I agree on several suggestions. Most importantly Bars/Nightlife needs to be a category. Simply lumping it in with Restaurants is really a poor descriptor. If you needed to consolidate in that category, I'd argue that Fast Food & Restaurants would be more appropriate as combined than putting your bar tabs, alcohol and club costs in with restaurants.

I also agree with the previous posters who suggest having "Reimbursable expenses" and "Reimbursement Income" as two additional options. They are really a separate type of transaction, since they shouldn't count against your budget and spending trends.

A category for clothing maintenance would be nice, but not nearly as important to me as the first two suggestions. I don't know what you'd call it, but it would incorporate many of the previously suggested expenses including laundromats, dry cleaners, tailors, shoe shines, shoe/zipper repair shops, etc. I would probably place it under "Personal Care".

[stevenschulman]

I like Mint. I even got my wife to try it. The conclusion is that it is not worth the effort until there are custom categories. :(

Suggestion: Create categories named MY CATEGORY 1, MY CATEGORY 2, ....

As I user I would just have to know what the category means for me, but with 5 or 10 categories like that I would be able to handle it.

Even better would be, say, 3 generic MY AREA n areas, each with MY CATEGORY n1 categories (say, 3 in each).

Even if we cannot create custom categories, renaming existing categories for ourselves would result in the same efffect.

[evolve]

Not to sound too abrasive but...

No custom categories is a show stopper for me. There's just no way I can cram things in and organize at the level of detail I need without them. And frankly, if adding something as trivial as user defined categories is that difficult, I think you've got some serious architectural issues with your software.

The conclusion is that it is not worth the effort until there are custom categories

Agreed. For me, the service is not usable without them.

[packy]

A generic "Loan Payments" category would cover all the loans I'm currently stuffing under "Student Loans" (since I don't have any of those anymore).

[dbrogdon]

Is there any update on this? I would really like to be able to have custom categories. Even tags would be better than nothing.

[eewgeography]

My student loan payments for my own education are only able to be categorized under my kids category. Would be nice for adult's education expenses to be separate from kids'.

[AAHill]

Yodlee's "MoneyCenter" website has gotten better with their most recent patch/upgrade. Although Mint's user interface is still much better visually, Yodlee has by far more functioning and useful budgeting tools.

C'mon Mint...

- AA

[runako]

I second the notion that it would be great to be able to add custom categories. Why not treat tags/labels and categories the same (optionally make this an advanced-user setting)? It seems that no matter how many categories you add, you're not going to add the one that is 50% of a given user's transactions.

That said, a dry cleaning category would be nice.

[bergonom]

I like a lot of the suggestions here, but one thing I haven't seen mentioned but would LOVE to see implemented is the ability to 'promote' a 'subcategory' (like groceries) to the 'category' level (i.e. 'equal' to 'Food & Dining'). That way it would show up in my Spending Trends graphs without having to drill down to it.

In general I would like the ability to choose what shows up at first glance in the Spending Trends pie graph.

Otherwise Mint is really amazing. I used to spend a few hours a month doing this manually and it wasn't nearly as pretty as this site is. Thanks!

[Kestrel]

I'd like to see the three meta categories suggested in the aforementioned book added: Must-Haves, Wants, and Savings. That's all the categories I need/want in order to stay on budget. :cool: If custom categories aren't going to happen, then at-least allow budgets to optionally be built around tags instead of categories.

[fisher318]

I would like to see a debt category added so I can list when I've paid some of my debts.

[aeverse]

Yes, I agree completely with the need to track reimbursable expenses and reimbursement income.
Thanks.

[hjuan99]

Here's another vote for custom categories

[dm_longhorn]

The only downfall for me personally is the inability to customize categories. If you're going to add some in the future, I could use:

-Vacation
-Bars/Nightlife

[AAHill]

Sooooooooooo, Mint... any progress on the ability to add/use custom categories?

This is obviously a very popular thread and something that the vast majority of us are anxious to see.

Damon - someone - can you please let us know where things stand?

Thanks,

- AA

[ally]

Just want to throw in my request for custom categories - I just started using Mint and this is the biggest drawback I've seen. Until then, here are my requests for category adds -

Personal Care
-Beauty

Entertainment
-Alcohol

Food and Dining
-Breakfast

Home
-Yard and Garden


Custom Categories are a big deal, for alot of people it looks like, please make this a top priority.

[Mani]

Under Taxes:

Property Taxes

All year long I'm saving up to pay these. I have to pay 3-4 property tax bills every November/Dec. It's a huge part of my annual budget.


Also I mentioned in an earlier thread and others have mentioned:

Rental Property expenses/income:

Rental Income
--Monthly Rental Income.
Rental expenses
--Monthly Maintenance Fees
--Monthly mortgage
--Occasional repairs (repair, recarpeting, repainting).
--Occasional tenant finder fee other rental fees.

[jg1]

Custom categories would be best, but short of that, israldebruin's idea is a good one. Mint could create a large list of possible categories (including many of the good ideas posted in this forum) and allow users to create their own custom pallettes.

[synrg]

Public transportation, subscriptions, reimbursable expenses, and separate tax and interest categories are all great ideas for new budget categories.

Also on my wish list - the ability to consider budget categories annually rather than monthly. Every time I make a quarterly payment I'm over my monthly budget.

Finally, what if a special option were offered with Mint's financial partners so that individual members could opt into a service that actually knew our real identities, SS numbers and credit history. That way members would know before accepting that an "offer" was a real presecreened offer, rather than a bogus offer that carries no weight with the credit card company. I think it could lead to greater interest on the part of merchants and a bigger moneymaking opportunity to Mint when the offers were accepted.

[Jigga]

Not sure why Dry Cleaning or Laundry still isn't listed....

[Smiles]

Businesses like Comcast (cable, internet, phone) and AT&T (wireless, land line), have combo plans that are paid with one single bill. Being able to separate the cost of each service within the combo plans would be nice -- one problem I foresee - taxes and user fees would still be left unaccounted.

Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions (print and online)

I use "Kids and Education" for all purchases for our children, but also for my personal school loans. I don't think my school loans fit well within the general category.

If one of my transaction items is not listed in my budget section, then the budget is not completely accurate, right? Some purchases just do not occur on a monthly basis. Also, the budget section, as far as I can tell, does not include a column comparing the budget to one's total monthly income.

Thanks so much, particularly because I moved away a bit from the focus of the thread.

[derekcv]

Definitely public transportation.

Some will call me crazy, but I would personally not like to see custom categories. It would be better if you had a voting systems of some kind where people could suggest categories, and if there is enough interest, the name is unified and properly placed in the right top level category. Otherwise correlation with other users becomes pretty difficult and you lose the value of a site like this.

[dracoaffectus]

I decided to list what I think should be added according to the categories they would fit into. Not all my suggestions are for me really, but I recognize the need:

Auto
Auto fees(to encompass tolls, tickets, and registration)
Public Transportation (even though I don't use it, I know a lot of people do)


Bill & Utilities
Loan Payment (I'm not sure what other main category this would fall under...any ideas?)


Business Services
Reimbursable Expenses


Entertainment
Magazines/Newspapers
Bars/Nightlife (This is a MUST, and I would use it for all my alcohol purchases...not that I'm an alcoholic)


Food & Dining
Convenience Stores (Smokers might appreciate this in lieu of a Cigarettes category, I'd like it for my small purchases at gas stations/7-eleven)


Home
Home Supplies (mostly for cleaning supplies, but generally for all small home purchases that are not furniture or improvement related)
Home Appliances (or is that considered furnishings?)
Landscaping (doesn't really fit into the current Home categories)


Income
Reimbursement
Rental Income
Misc. Income (alternatively, Revenue)


Kids & Education
School Supplies (for my textbooks, notebooks, scantrons, and other school related expenses)
Kids Activities (I don't have kids, but if I did I'd like to be able to separate out the money I spend on their expenses)

Personal Care
Toiletries
Dry-cleaning/Laundry (I'm spending a few dollars on laundry every week, I'd like to keep track of it)
Make-up (not that I spend much money here...but half the population does, so it should get a category)


Taxes
Property Tax (Or would you consider this a State tax? I'm a renter so I don't really deal with property tax myself)
Tax Preparation (an annual expense that doesn't really fit anywhere else, since it's just once a year I don't mind if you don't include it)



The more I think about it, the more I think Kids & Education should be split up into two separate main categories, they would be something like this...

Kids
Allowance
Babysitter/Daycare
Child Support
Kid's Activities
Toys/Games


Education
Student Loan (This could be left out if a more general Loan category gets added)
Tuition/School Fees (biggest expense in my budget by far)
School Supplies (notebooks, scantrons, paper, pens, etc.)
Textbooks (I take time each semester to bargain hunt for books, it's a very important part of my budget)



I'm ok with no custom categories if you take our suggestions seriously :)


Oh, since it's relating to categories I'd like to second an earlier suggestion to allow us to specify an amount range when creating rules for categorization. I'd like Mint to recognize purchases at a gas station less than $10 are convenience store purchases, while purchases at a gas station greater than $10 are Gas/Fuel. Then if I happen to put less than $10 of gas (I wish!), I could change that one transaction myself, rather than having to re-categorize a transaction every time I buy a candy bar :P.

[maureenld]

I think your short list is great---esp. reimbursables and public transportation

[tngirly]

2 categories that are majorly missing:

SAVINGS
DEBT REPAYMENT (or call it whatever you like)

both categories are significant pieces of my budget and spending and I need some way to categorize them----

AND honestly, it seems like if the purpose of this program is to hop on the train of budgetting and moving towards debt reduction these two categories should be significant!

[ufpspock]

I don't know if "savings" is exactly a category - I mean, is it a spending category? I would think it's just a type of account, so you could show transfers to a savings account, but really if Mint can show Net Worth (Total Assets less Total Liabilities, which would have to INCLUDE long-term debt), then your total net worth IS your savings.

On the other hand, I do think it would be really neat to compare "savings" with other people in your area/demographic category, so I don't want to discount that idea. I'm just not sure how I would want to see that work in with the general overview of my finances.

I'll have to think about this....there's so many different ways to think about it... anybody else got an idea about this?

[dracoaffectus]

I don't know if "savings" is exactly a category - I mean, is it a spending category? I would think it's just a type of account, so you could show transfers to a savings account, but really if Mint can show Net Worth (Total Assets less Total Liabilities, which would have to INCLUDE long-term debt), then your total net worth IS your savings.

On the other hand, I do think it would be really neat to compare "savings" with other people in your area/demographic category, so I don't want to discount that idea. I'm just not sure how I would want to see that work in with the general overview of my finances.

I'll have to think about this....there's so many different ways to think about it... anybody else got an idea about this?

For me, I have a tendency to put all my money into savings so having a savings category seems useless to me.

Instead of having a "savings" category, I'd just like to see a box that says, "Income: $XXXX - Expenses: $XXXX = Savings: $XXXX" with options for time period (this month, past 3 months, this year).

I'd also really like to see a "Cash vs. Debt" line graph, that would be a nifty way to watch my savings grow. And this would be helpful to people in debt because they would see their progress on paying off their debt. (I remember talking about this in more detail somewhere else on this forum).

[Dano]

I'd love to have a custom category for one-time "batch" events, like weddings or bat mitzvahs. This could either be a new category, or a sub-category (say under "shopping").

[ahecht]

This isn't a new category, but could we get Health Insurance actually named "Health Insurance" instead of just "Insurance". I currently have car, home, life, and health insurance, so it's not immediatly obvious in the transaction list which "Insurance" it is.

[vpesochi]

It is just complexity without any reason and value for it. Transactions maybe unique to every person, but not categories. You can add some "tags" for budgeting purpose, just to respond to the requests that will keep coming in. Besides users will add some crappy categories. You will do a better job be incorporating best suggestions from the forum. What you really need is a poll system, which will allow customers to vote and suggest categories and other features.

Anyway, I am here because I am missing a category or two. Lots of money goes to some household items like cleaners, paper towels, diapers, and other crap like that. It all ends up in shopping or groceries and that does not help me with managing my budget. I suppose I need "Household Items" under shopping or home.

Thanks.

P.S. Great product! :D

[blindturnsmile]

I would like to have a saving category for my budget.

[lucyluwho]

I agree with debt repayment and savings, but how about books? There's the generic entertainment catagory but nothing for books. I can't be the only one who reads around here! :D

[dracoaffectus]

how about books? There's the generic entertainment catagory but nothing for books. I can't be the only one who reads around here! :D

You're not, it's just that the developers consider "books" as "shopping" rather than "entertainment".

[mxmissile]

It is just complexity without any reason and value for it. Transactions maybe unique to every person, but not categories. You can add some "tags" for budgeting purpose, just to respond to the requests that will keep coming in. Besides users will add some crappy categories. You will do a better job be incorporating best suggestions from the forum. What you really need is a poll system, which will allow customers to vote and suggest categories and other features.


Wrong, they should be able to add the ability to create private categories which are addition to the public categories that are seen by everyone (no need to muck that list up), the existing categories are nice, but let me add my own so ONLY I see them. Transactions AND private categories should be unique to users. Who cares if users add crappy categories, only said user will see them. I don't care about your categories, and you should not care about mine. The labels 'tags' are nice, but without the ability to add my own custom categories is a HUGE stopper for me.

Yawn. Someone wake me up with this happens, until then, I'll keep using my homegrown app.

[Harrier]

Subscriptions

[vpesochi]

Wrong, they should be able to add the ability to create private categories which are addition to the public categories that are seen by everyone (no need to muck that list up), the existing categories are nice, but let me add my own so ONLY I see them. Transactions AND private categories should be unique to users. Who cares if users add crappy categories, only said user will see them. I don't care about your categories, and you should not care about mine. The labels 'tags' are nice, but without the ability to add my own custom categories is a HUGE stopper for me.

Yawn. Someone wake me up with this happens, until then, I'll keep using my homegrown app.

OK, if you say they should then they should. Customer is always right :). I suppose what they can do to make it simple is to allow private categories, but with condition that private category extends (becomes a subset of) an existing category. Then it just becomes a tag for budgeting purposes and the pie chart :D.

[don juan]

Honeymoon/Wedding

Even though it's a once in a lifetime event (for some people maybe two, three, or more :)), it would still be cool to track how much I spend.

Other events:

Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Birthday Celebrations
Anniversary Celebration
General party

[rkallerud]

The main changes I'd make:

New categories:
Personal Care: Laundry/Dry Cleaning
Personal Care: Beauty/Skin Care
Personal Care (or Health Care): Nutrition/Vitamins/Supplements
Entertainment: Bars & Nightlife
Home: Household/Cleaning Supplies
Entertainment: Museums

Change Entertainment: Music to Entertainment: Concerts
and add Shopping: Music/CDs as its own category

Change Entertainment: Movies & DVDs to Entertainment: Movies
and add Shopping: DVDs as its own category.

[mxmissile]

private category extends (becomes a subset of) an existing category. Then it just becomes a tag for budgeting purposes and the pie chart :D.

Only if we can budget the private categories separately... IMO.

[Damon]

The challenge with categories is that we have to make the service work for as many as possible. Some customers, for example, may view a one-time issue as being important; other categories, however, might actually serve more people as a whole (weddings, hopefully a one-time expense, may not be as important as business expenses).

I can assure you that custom categories, as well as making labels more effective, are issues we're looking at.

[dracoaffectus]

The challenge with categories is that we have to make the service work for as many as possible. Some customers, for example, may view a one-time issue as being important; other categories, however, might actually serve more people as a whole (weddings, hopefully a one-time expense, may not be as important as business expenses).

I can assure you that custom categories, as well as making labels more effective, are issues we're looking at.


My opinion is that those in-frequent issues (i.e. weddings, anniversaries, etc.) can usually be lumped into a general category. That is, after all, the fundamental idea behind categorizing transactions. It seems more appropriate to have a more general category called, "Special Events/Parties". That would encompass those major life events that happen rather infrequently, and then each user could use a label (or renaming) to specify the event.

Now that I really think about it, I can't decide which heading a "Special Events/Parties" category would fall into. It might be appropriate to make that the general heading, and give it categories such as, "Food & Drinks", "Rentals", "Decorations", and "Service". Those seem like reasonable categories for expenses one would have when celebrating a special event. Although those categories do somewhat overlap other categories already in existence...though I think it would be appropriate to separate out food expenses related to throwing a big party from regular everyday food expenses. Other in-frequent issues (e.g. Vacations) are already handled the same way.


Come to think of it, a separate heading for "Special Events/Parties" containing a category for "Food & Drinks" would give me a nice way to separate out the money I spend on items I buy for parties from my regular grocery expenses.

[BluGopher]

In general, I think you have a great start on the categories and the level of granularity is appropriate. I would prefer not to have too extensive of a list (eg, cigarettes and waxing) – this list could quickly get out of hand.

Here’s a suggestion at how the ‘custom categories’ might work – allow each user to customize their list from a more extensive list, and when they login, only their custom list will appear. Thus, I my list of expenses would not include ‘waxing’, but might include ‘golf fees’. The ability to create new categories would also be nice.

Here’s a few categories that I think should be included (some have been mentioned earlier):
Auto > Taxes & fees
Home > HOA dues
Kids & Educ > Activities
Kids & Educ > Dependent care reimbursement (or in ‘Income’ category)
Healthcare > Healthcare reimbursement (or in ‘Income’ category)
Home > Lawn & Garden
Pets > Kennel (or Pet services)
Income > Tax Return
Income > Rebates
Transfer > Credit Card Payment Received (in addition to ‘credit card payment’)
Transfer > Acct to Acct transfer
Bills & Utilities > Gas
Bills & Utilities > Electric
Bills & Utilities > Water
Memberships
Financial & Invest > College savings
Financial & Invest > Retirement
Financial & Invest > Savings

Vices > Gambling, Cigarettes, Alcohol, etc (this is only partially tongue-in-cheek)

[mxgale]

I'm having my business account tracked through mint. I'd like cateories such as Wages (expense), Profit Sharing (expense), Social Security (exp), Federal Income (expense), Medicare (expense), Unemployment (expense), etc.

[SkippyFlipjack]

The challenge with categories is that we have to make the service work for as many as possible. Some customers, for example, may view a one-time issue as being important; other categories, however, might actually serve more people as a whole (weddings, hopefully a one-time expense, may not be as important as business expenses).

I can assure you that custom categories, as well as making labels more effective, are issues we're looking at.hi Damon. Have you at least been working on the technology for user-defined categories? Based on the posts in the forum, it seems you've been "looking at" these issues for nine months or more; has any decision at least been made on the direction in which you're moving?

I ask because I'm really loving Mint, but if user-defined categories aren't in the cards I should probably go back to Quicken now, because I think they're essential to personal budget management.

Thanks for an awesome site!

[jeffofhearts]

What can I say - I'm an Alcoholic.

[bronskrat]

I would like to see Gambling as a category under Entertainment so I can see all the money I've been winning! Actually, this would help out a lot.

And I second the request for having "Student Loan" either move out of 'Kids and Education' or doubled elsewhere. Maybe just break out "Education" altogether and include other subcategories like tuition, materials, coffee, etc. :p

[eric1985]

bronskrat, how is coffee an education expense? LOL.

[dracoaffectus]

If you drink a lot of coffee to stay up late writing term papers and studying for tests...then I think coffee becomes an education expense :p

[jerzeh]

Lack of a business expense catergory is the only thing preventing me from fully using Mint.

[SkippyFlipjack]

Lack of a business expense catergory is the only thing preventing me from fully using Mint.
What about labeling those items "Reimbursable" and using the category "Exclude from Mint"? That's what I've done so I can search on those at the end of the month and get reimbursed, but so they won't show up in my spending.

I'm curious; if there was a "Business Expense" category, how would you use it?

[mrabbazabba]

Would love:
* Entertainment: Bars/Nightlife
* Groceries: Alcohol
* ??: Cigarettes/Tobacco
Also like the Gas Station Food idea.

Great site!

[Halpo]

Education
Education - Tuition
Education - Fees
Education - Books
These are must haves for me. With tuition as expensive as it is it throws everything off in the pie charts and thing not having a category for it.

[jessicaspam]

I agree with the Subscriptions suggestion.

It could be listed under Entertainment or Business Expenses, depending on the type of subscription and how it applies to the user.

[eric1985]

I don't know why people keep posting here. They have told us they are going to have custom categories by year end (if all goes as planned, so I figure tack six months on to that)

[SkippyFlipjack]

I don't know why people keep posting here. They have told us they are going to have custom categories by year end (if all goes as planned, so I figure tack six months on to that)It might be because people don't read the entire history of the support forum when looking for help on a particular issue they're having or suggestion they've thought of. Might also be because they probably wouldn't find that year-end goal anyway; from what I've seen, the message has typically been simply "We're currently looking at custom categories." Or it could be because having custom categories in six months wouldn't prevent them from adding a few of the most-requested fixed categories now.

[hollster]

bars/nightlife and reimbursable expenses in both income and expense sections. Also a 'gift' section under income.

[Jason Williams]

HOME> Lawn & Garden

KIDS> Baby Supplies (diapers, wipes, etc)

[vodreaux]

Add the following Categories: Subscription

SubCategories: Magazines, Newspaper, Journals, Etc!

-------------------

Most important.

Categories: Fraud
SubCategories: Fraudulent Debit, Fraudulent Credit, Dispute Charges

Unless anyone thinks of better names.

[PBinHtown]

Shopping - Holidays
Shopping - Birthdays

[MWPaustin]

I have been using MS Money for 14 years and my entire financial process is simply too tied to being able to customize categories. Mint looks interesting and useful but using it further is a waste of my time until you add sufficient categories or customizable category pallettes or the ability to tag or however you want to implement it. There's not enough value to justify entering everything in both systems. I would imagine you are using a lot of Quicken/Money veterans due to this.

Please email when it's been added and I will come back.

Best,
Melissa

[iSingUSA]

Yes! Need:

PROPERTY TAX
BUSINESS EXPENSE
SUBSCRIPTIONS (I have several online memberships, ect)

I'm just starting, so these are ones that I've needed but couldn't utilize so far.

[Damon]

We're actively researching custom categorization (discussed in a product meeting this week).

I know I haven't been as active out here lately...but I can assure you that I know what you guys want to see from Mint.com. Custom categorization provides some unique challenges because it impacts a wide variety of areas of the Mint.com site (spending trends, budgets, transactions,etc.). T

[gpm2a]

Need a category for Health & Fitness --> Gym Membership

[SkippyFlipjack]

Damon, 9.11.07: "I would expect a lot of improvements to categorization very, very shortly."

Damon, 6.19.08: "We're actively researching custom categorization (discussed in a product meeting this week)."

:D

(Just because we won't have you to kick around much longer :) )

[paradoxiq]

Hello,

No custom categories = deal-killer.

I signed on an hour ago and was thrilled at what I saw (and see!) with Mint. Great idea, almost a great execution. But really, forcing me to run my finances as you see fit is a deal-killer for me.

Stating the obvious and piling on:

The lack of custom categories makes my Overview meaningless to me.

Fix it and I'll be a daily user. I'd pay a reasonable monthly fee for deep functionality like this (though I'd expect and ad-free experience for that). Don't fix it and you'll always be an almost-killer service to me, filed under "Miss the point of Web 2.0". :(

Kind regards,

Dave

[SkippyFlipjack]

Fix it and I'll be a daily user. I'd pay a reasonable monthly fee for deep functionality like this (though I'd expect and ad-free experience for that). Don't fix it and you'll always be an almost-killer service to me, filed under "Miss the point of Web 2.0". :(lol.. I agree in general, but to say that a company misses the point of web 2.0 simply because their site doesn't offer the particular customization feature you want is a little.. well, web 1.0. ;)

[paradoxiq]

lol.. I agree in general, but to say that a company misses the point of web 2.0 simply because their site doesn't offer the particular customization feature you want is a little.. well, web 1.0. ;)

I don't agree with you. :D I think that an 11 page thread on the feature shows that it's not just a feature I want. And this isn't the only thread!

But it's my fault for using the label "Web 2.0". It's a term that's thrown around all over the place, and I'm guilty of that here because I was trying to use shorthand: isn't one of the main thrusts of the new gen of web-apps is that they empower users to control their own data?

And that's the point. The current functionality of Mint forces me to organize my data the way that Mint thinks is best. I want to organize it the way that I feel is best. Yes, many of these are universal (>90%?). But it's the remainder that is make or break here, as you're dealing with peoples' unique financial pictures. Features that empower users are elegant. Data structures and algorithms that can accommodate procedural usage are elegant (and, dare I say, patentable!). Forcing users into a fixed/rigid data structures is not. That's old technology. I'd call that "Web 1.0"!

But I'll drop the label issue and just say that currently, my home-grown finance spreadsheet is more empowering to me and how I structure/view my data than Mint. It's not as convenient by a long shot because it's not automated. This is Mint's great idea! But it allows me to see my data much more clearly than Mint does because it's specific to my life. There is no "right way" to view your data other than the way that makes sense to you.

But I'm not here to whine, or to harp on semantics. Here is my attempt at something useful:

The user story (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_story) for me here is: "I need to be able to quickly visualize the big picture in a way that's meaningful to me, and that needs to include all of the little categories that are unique to me and my family's life that I want to see."

So there's all I want to do in one sentence. Implementing custom categorization is clearly non-trivial for a variety of reasons that Damon has explained or hinted at. Is there another way to meet this user's story? It looks like there is: Labels.

If Mint allowed Labels to further segment the Overview, they would provide data that was meaningful to the specific user while keeping the data structure intact. That's empowering your user.

This has probably already been suggested. I confess that I stopped reading this thread after page 6 or 7. ;) And of course, I can't see the back-end and I'm sure there would be knock-on effects here as well that would need to be worked out. Maybe this is a terrible solution. The Mint folks are clearly very smart and have a great idea, and I have no doubt they'll nail it down.

It's just an almost-great implementation and that's my $.02 on why it's not there yet. :)

[SkippyFlipjack]

I don't agree with you. :D I think that an 11 page thread on the feature shows that it's not just a feature I want. And this isn't the only thread!

But it's my fault for using the label "Web 2.0". It's a term that's thrown around all over the place, and I'm guilty of that here because I was trying to use shorthand: isn't one of the main thrusts of the new gen of web-apps is that they empower users to control their own data?right, I didn't mean it was a feature that only you want, but just that it was one out of many features that the site does have. I was just taking issue with your generality; I think these guys do "get" web 2.0 in several ways, and the fact that they've failed at implementing one necessary feature that you (and I and pretty much every other user of this site) want doesn't negate that. that's all :)

I don't think of their current categorization implementation as necessarily "web 1.0" -- yes it's a top-down structure but every site makes such decisions. you're rarely able to tweak every aspect of a site that you want to tweak. even with its developer API, facebook is quite restrictive (and thank goodness; myspace can have the visual trainwreck market to itself. :) ) that said, I think Mint's success will depend upon solving the categorization issue and the automatic download issue. now that I've realized that Mint only downloads transactions when you log in, I've become much less enamored of the site. to me, that was the big advantage over desktop apps -- that it was working on your finances when you weren't. but maybe that's not as important to everyone.

and I agree that labels are pretty close to meeting the needs of most of us. I hope they take that to its completion, since it's so close already. one thing they could offer for the more tech-savvy user is an API that allows access to all transactions. then we could build our own apps to process the data that they compile.

ps: I like that 'user story' link; hadn't read that before, as i haven't worked with the xp paradigm much.

[jdub]

I agree. No custom categories == deal killer.

What were you thinking, Mint?????

Hello,

No custom categories = deal-killer.

Fix it and I'll be a daily user. I'd pay a reasonable monthly fee for deep functionality like this (though I'd expect and ad-free experience for that). Don't fix it and you'll always be an almost-killer service to me, filed under "Miss the point of Web 2.0". :(

Kind regards,

Dave

[jdub]

Business Expense
Business Expense Reimbursement
Healthcare > Out of Network
Healthcare > Not covered

Probably a whole lot more to come.

[evparsons]

I would like to see all the same categories that you have listed for personal use listed also under business use.

Also - you have hair but what about the manicurist?? :confused:

Thanks!

Ely

[babedoc1]

Hi
I would like to see a category for credit card payments
thanks

[leek]

I'll probably get flamed for this, but a category to track my cigarette expenses would be excellent.

Hell, I'll even tell you what brand I smoke so you can throw other offers at me ;) JK - but seriously, a cigarette category would be 12 types of awesome.

[zlopid]

I wanted to add another push - no custom categories (which I would like to use for budgeting) means that I either

A) find another solution

B) use a different category (filing bars/nightlife under entertainment>amusement or one that I won't use, like Business Services>Advertising), which will mess things up for you, but still work for me.

C) keep information on that category separately, which would be frustrating

So I'll add my voice to the chorus: custom categories, pretty please!

[Joseph]

These are what I really need -

Emergency fund

Subscription

[tundra]

I second Auto tolls.

[ceaton]

Parking ticket under Auto

[Justin Maxwell]

Hi
I would like to see a category for credit card payments
thanks

There is a category for credit card payments. It's under "Transfer"

[Justin Maxwell]

Transfer > Credit Card Payment Received (in addition to ‘credit card payment’)
Transfer > Acct to Acct transfer
Bills & Utilities > Gas
Bills & Utilities > Electric
Bills & Utilities > Water
Memberships
Financial & Invest > College savings
Financial & Invest > Retirement
Financial & Invest > Savings


Hi all,

We're working on implementing custom categories in a way we feel meets the needs of 99% of our users. So, please consider this reply as "yes, we've heard your requests, and we're working on it!" They will happen. But there's more...

Let's talk about two things: Tags/Labels and Transfers.

For me, labels (they're tags to me) are a way to slice across categories. They answer the question "what's it for," while categories answer the question "what is it?" or "what did I spend my money on?" In that sense, you didn't buy a "reimbursable," you bought a stapler ("office supplies") and can label it with "reimbursable". Why bother with what seems like twice the effort? First, because it allows you to get a bigger picture of how you spend. Second, because you'll likely soon be able to set rules to auto-assign labels as well. Here are a few examples:


You went to the movies and your good friend Aaron Patzer, the CEO of Mint, forgot cash. You spotted him the $11.50, but he owes you for it. You'd categorize that as "Movies & DVDs" and tag it with "reimbursable" and "AaronPatzer". Later on that month you decide to view all items tagged with "reimbursable" and remember hey! Aaron owes you money.
You have two cars, a Honda and a VW. Both require service, gas, registration, etc., but you'd like to keep track of which is which. You'd still categorize all the transactions appropriately, but you'd label some with "Honda" and the others with "VW" so you can differentiate the two.
You charged a flight and conference registration fee to your credit card, but your employer owes you for it. You'd label it with "reimbursable" and just for added detail, maybe the name of the trip for future reference, like "Trampoline Experts 2008", so that you can group all your expenses from the Trampoline Experts 2008 trip together.


I do realize this type of functionality isn't so clear or obvious in the UI now. We're working on that, and we're working on making better use out of the tags on the Trends page as well.

Now let's talk about transfers.

We had a nice juicy argument here in the office today. Some of you really want categories like "Transfer to Savings." Others of you argued that's not necessary. Personally, I'm having a hard time understanding why you'd need a "Transfer to Savings" category under "Transfer" if you already have a category called "Transfer" and can name your transaction "Savings", so it will obviously show up in your checking transaction list named accurately and appropriately...then you'd need a "Transfer from Savings," and in the end things would get pretty messy.

So, here are some questions for you:
1. Why not just categorize it as "Transfer?"
2. Is there something about "Transfer" that's unintuitive?
3. Would giving you the ability to create custom categories solve this for you, knowing that other users might just use "Transfer", or would you still hold the opinion that Mint is misunderstanding your needs?
4. When you move money from checking to savings, do you think of it as a transfer, or do you think of it as something else? If something else, can you describe it?

Also keep in mind we're working around the clock on making Mint better. The things we're trying to do are anywhere between three weeks and three years out, and they'll only make the experience better. The best thing you can do is dig in now, because the more information you put in now, the better we can do things with it as we add features. Please trust us that every post in here results in discussions, arguments, design studies, and even storming off and getting mad now and then.

thanks for your time,
Justin

[paradoxiq]

Thanks for the informative post, Jusin. Very appreciated.

[babulas]

Justin,

Thanks for the posting.

It is obvious that Custom Categories is a the top of the list. From what I read from from Mint's postings in this forum is that it will interfere with other features of Mint like trends and budgeting.

I think you guys have it backwards. Why don't allow custom categories now and try to work later on the other features like trends and budgeting. I think that user prefer this prioritization.

[Neets]

I suggest you go directly to Quicken and copy all their accounts categories...its excellent!

We need things like:

Memberships (clubs and organizations and websites)
Business Reimbursement
Computer/Computer Repair
Pool Services
Lawn Services
Property Maintenance
Pet Kenneling

[vulgrin]

I want to see credit card transfers in my budget area - basically I want to be able to point to a number on the screen and say "This is how much I can spend this month."

I don't know - really, I want the whole budgeting tool to be more robust. Be able to handle 1 time items and pre-plan for them (perhaps on a calendar) and to be able to "reward" myself for staying under budget by seeing that amount that I can immediately move to savings or add toward my credit cards that month.

[MintProduct]

Sorry, all slots are full.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Lots of great suggestions around categories in this thread. We have spent a fair amount of time designing a solution and would like to offer a limited set of invitations to view and provide feedback. If you are interested, send me an email (aforth@mint.com) and select one of the time slots below. Slots will be given away on a first come first serve basis.

You will need to be in front of a computer as well as a phone:

August 5th, 2008:
- 1-2PM PST <Your Name>
- 2-3PM PST <Your Name>
- 3-4PM PST <Your Name>

[lkhendrickson]

Reimbursable Expenses
Personal Loan

[notyouravedame]

I'd like to see a "Miscellaneous" category.

I'd also like to see under Finance and Investments the sub-categories of "Savings" and "IRA Deposits" or "Retirement Fund" or something along those lines.

Thanks!

[jazzygee]

Thanks Justin for the awesome post on 7/18!

I'm having the exact opposite issue as some users -- I need fewer, more generic categories instead of more granular categories. For example, I budget using 6 categories in Quicken 2007 and use the tags feature to add more detail. I thought using the Labels feature might help, but you can't do any trend or reporting analysis using the label information.

If there was some way to roll the global categories into "category groups" or some type of higher-level hierarchy, I could stop using Quicken to manage my budget!

Other than that, I find Mint to be a very useful cash flow management tool.

[Justin Maxwell]

you're welcome.

Our user tests this week went very well (thanks! you know who you are!), and we're going to do another batch next week. We'll post in here with an invitation for participants when we're ready. We know some of you guys have provided extremely valuable input in this and other threads, and we'd like to let you see how we're going to address those needs.

Also, would you tell me a bit more about "category groups"? Do you mean like "discretionary", "mandatory", and even higher-level concepts?

Thanks again,
Justin

[jazzygee]

Wow -- that was a fast reply!

My idea of category groups is exactly as you described -- a categorization level that allows you to zoom out and consolidate categories into super-sets.

The primary purpose of my configuration is to simplify the monitoring of my monthly budget. In Quicken 2007, all of my expenses are rolled up into five categories: Committed, Fun, Retirement, Irregular, and Long Term. Each month, I try to keep the expenditures for each group within a certain level (e.g. no more than 10% of total monthly expenses should be Fun). When I'm classifying my expenses, I choose the appropriate category group and use a tag for more detail -- my rent check is attached to the "Committed" category and "Rent" tag.

I think there are a few ways to satisfy what I'm trying to do. Quicken is by no means a model -- the way in which they structured category groups is pretty asinine.

Thanks for listening!

[Justin Maxwell]

Interesting. Thanks for the detail! The way you use it is much different than most folks, but I think your head is in the right place -- it's the high level view that matters much more than the details.

I'm not sure that our solution is going to be perfect for you, but it might be closer to what you're looking for. Stay tuned...

[tribbetm]

I don't know if these have already been suggested, but here are some categories I would like to see:

Home Equity Loan (seperate sub category from mortgage)
Other loan types (the only one i saw was student)
Snacks (mmmm)
Cable/Internet combined

[markw]

Hi all, I have been a user for a few months and just took a comprehensive look at what categories I think are missing. I have a semi-complicated financial situation so many of the things I experience probably fit across the board. The categories below would be applicable to most of the people I know and allow for at least semi-broad categorization that would allow for much more finite categorization than is currently avaialable.

First, it would be easier if Insurance was broken out into it's own category. If not, then at least add the suggested categories under the appropriate parent category:

Insurance
* Home
* Auto
* Life - Term
* Life - Whole
* Life - Variable
* Renters
* Fire
* Flood
* Hurricane
* Medical
* Disability - Short Term
* Disability - Long Term
* Medical
* Dental
* Umbrella
* Business (don't know the breakdown for this one, but is probably applicable in many cases)

Utilities should be broken down into further categories of
* Water
* Power/Electricity

Investments (maybe these are simply transfers to those accounts if those are alreay in Mint):
* College
* 401k
* IRA - Spouse
* IRA - Traditional
* IRA - Roth
* Flexible Savings Account
* Daycare Savings Account

Income:
* Rental
* Tax Return

Home:
* Supplies
* Appliances
* Rental Maintenance
* HOA
* Services - Lawncare
* Services - Cleaning

Transfer (should be any account you have in Mint plus others):
* Savings
* Checking
* (all investment options plus all accounts with Mint)

Business Expenses:
* Air
* Hotel
* Phone
* Mobile
* Blackberry
* Internet
* Supplies
* Transportation
* Parking
* Meals/Restaurant
* Entertainment
* Tip
* Gas
* Tolls
* Rental Car
* Car Lease
* Equipment Rental
* Equipment Lease
* Other

Those are all I could come up with after a quick analysis of the current categories. I would love to hear what others think.

Regards,

Mark

[SwampFox]

Agree with all of MarkW suggestions!

Under Investments, I would add
* 401K - Spouse

[Dpope]

Hi. I would like to add my suggestions for additional categories.

Christmas/Holiday spending
Public Transportation

Thanks!

[Justin Maxwell]

public transportation - we're on it

holiday/christmas - that's a perfect use for a label/tag. categorize things as you usually would, but add a label for "holiday" or "christmas" so you can group everything you bought for the holiday season across multiple categories

[oakley64]

just wanted to agree with Jazzygee

I was about to post additional label suggestions, but I realized most of my need for them would be solved by having "necessary" & "unnecessary" spending categories - the descriptors that jazzy used are probably much better though!

To me, there is no point of labeling my "irregular" spending w/anything other than irregular! Although, these categories should definitely be an additional label...I would like to be able to pull up my 'unnecessary' spendings and see that I spent xxx amount this months shopping.

thanks!!

[pacol]

What about a category for Savings.

[pjwalsh]

I didn't read all the suggestions, but in the ones I saw I haven't seen anything for discretionary items. I'd be okay with a single Discretionary category or I'd be okay with that as a heading with things like Artwork and Jewelry as subcategories. It is these last two that are bothering me as I can't find a place to put them right now. Clothing and Furniture are poor options.

I'd also like to see a Reimbursable category.

Thank you...

[mbs]

I would like to see the following categories:
1. Dry Cleaning
2. Subscriptions (Newspapers and Magazines)
3. More under Kids, such as Activities
4. OK, I can't really think of 5

[delbusso@gmail.com]

As a parent of 3 small children, it would be great to track how much we are spending on their Activities. (i.e. tennis class, dance class, mygym class, etc.) Can you add a subcategory Activities to the Kids Main Category. Thanks.

[rbmcnutt]

Tolls as an expense under Auto.

[budget-gal]

In addition to the bars/nightlife categories it would help to have a "liquor" category to track wine purchases etc.

[blearyeyedme]

I love the varying Savings additions. Likewise, I think a "miscellaneous" subgroup would be appropriate as well. Personally, my wife and I set aside money each month for those miscellaneous things we may not necessarily see coming. It would definitely help to have that within the budgeting tool.

[Penniless Tim]

With 5 kids, I need more child categories. A few helpful ones would be lessons (as in music), entertainment, and sports.

[jsteg68]

SAVINGS:cool:

[Ophelia]

Public Transportation!

(Also, savings.)

I would still prefer customizable categories, and I personally don't care if I can't compare my customized categories to other people's spending (I don't find that feature useful anyway). Because I know that categorizing candles and incense as "Ritual Items" is not important to anyone but me, but it IS important to me ... (For now I can just use one of the categories I don't use, like Auto or something.)

[mdiggory]

Under Business, please add:

Business Expense
Business Income
Reimbursable Expense

[Tina]

I too want custom categories.

The category palette idea would be a reasonable workaround. Mint would provide a huge list of categories and each user would select their own. Simply adding lots more categories without providing a way for individuals to prune the list is not good enough.

On a related note, even if custom categories are provided, I would like to be able choose a subset of categories for "everyday" use with a larger set available less frequently. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about - Quicken does this. The use cases are:

1. Frequent use. I need access to groceries and gasoline categories frequently, so they should be readily accessible.

2. Infrequent use. I pay property taxes every 6 months. I need the category, but having it in the dropdown menu would be an inconvenient distraction. I'm willing to look for it when I need it.

[Tina]

Wow. I logged my 2 bits about custom categories a couple days ago. Today I log in and there's custom category support! Neat.

ok, I know some people have been waiting a while, but still, I'm happy.;)

[MintProduct]

Hi all,
Last night we released a series of new feature, one of which allows you to customize your categories. Our hope is that this feature allows you to customize Mint to suit your needs. The feature allows you to create categories, set budgets and delivers a new design for editing transactions complete with inline editing. In addition, you will notice that via 'trends' you can filter transactions by tag types.

We will be sending out an email with ore details on other feature in the release shortly.

The Mint team would like to thank everyone who has posted to this tread over the past several months. The feedback we collected was instrumental in the helping us to build the feature. We are really excited to hear your feedback on how you like these features.

Aaron Forth
VP Product, Mint.com

[landerson]

The new custom categories interface is slick. However, I am unable to figure out how to add new top level custom categories. The pre-defined top level categories are far too restrictive.

Anyone know how to do this?

[ChrisBenson]

Has the question of creating custom top-level categories been definitively answered?

People have been asking about this since 2007. Surely, it's been addressed and implemented by now.

If anyone knows, please let the rest of us know.

Thanks!
Chris

[AcousticGarden]

I'm missing something.

I'm new to Mint. Yesterday I logged on, and was able to tag a check. I figured that tagging it was probably the way to categorize it. Today, I can't edit other undesignated checks, or maybe I can but I can't find the interface that allowed me to do that yesterday.

Suggestions? :confused:

[dangg]

I would really like to have "Memberships" as a top-level category