Eating Out Category: Too complex

[RachelR (Rachel)]

@Brap

However agree that Alcohol is narrow to be a category itself and perhaps something like Social would be better, although it overlaps with entertainment quite a bit.

Social is probably a better way as alcohol category could be triggering to alcoholics or people trying to give it up. However entertainment and social is very close and it may not be clear what goes in what.

[simonb]

@Brap

You could say that about almost every category, for example I know people who never eat out (yes they exist!) or who don’t have expenses (probably the most obvious)

Are they really excluded from these categories? I wouldn’t say so, they simply don’t use them.

I don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of too many hypotheticals, but I perhaps should have been more clear here. An alcohol category also excludes people who may have issues around drinking such as alcoholism.
You could apply similar logic to the hypothetical idea of us creating a “Gambling” category, which we also wouldn’t do. Self-exclusion isn’t the same thing as simply not engaging in something, like not eating out or not having a specific need for something like expenses.

Whilst there may be some examples that could be plucked, I would guess that most people who choose to eat in (or choose not to eat out) simply do so because it’s cheaper or they prefer to cook.

With that being said the purpose of this thread isn’t to justify the existing categories. This thread alone proves there are a large amount of variations and use cases, and whilst there are certainly improvements to be made, the slippery slope is to account for too many of them and end up with a over-complex system that eventually becomes useless or time-consuming for most users.

[Brap]

Agree , in that case I think a custom category would be nice, it would only add one category and eliminate the need for new ones

[KrisWhoBanks (Kris)]

Would one solution to this just be introducing a Custom Category? So when you’re laid in bed with a hangover you can change your transactions at The Horse and Hare (or whatever trendy clubs cityfolks go to) from Eating Out or Entertainment to “Drinking” or “On The Lash” (whatever you’ve set it to), or say you’re a caffeine addicted soul you can change every Pret, Starbucks, Costa, Nero or local independent coffee shop from Eating Out to “Beverages” or “I NEED COFFEE NOW!”

[nathanthomson8 (Nathan)]

Going by that logic then should there be a new Charity category as planned?

I know a lot of people have asked for it but its not something i can use at the moment until i get my own finances in check.**

I think budgeting is a very personal and isnt an exact science. Personally Id love to have more control of my categories and think so would alot of other people.

**Not saying it shouldn’t be created, more categories the better in my eyes

[redshift]

I don’t particularly want custom categories - only because I wouldn’t use them. But I do feel the current categories are a mix of really vague and oddly specific. Broad top level categories and more specific sub categories and then #tags would be perfect for me.

It is a pretty complicated thing to balance though and I’d love to see and hear more of what Monzo have (hopefully) been thinking, trying and so on.

[DipperDolphin]

@simonb

Beverages” through including going out for coffee.

A little off topic but what do you guys categorise this as? I usually put coffee like Costa I’m eating out, but not sure if that’s the right category.

[anon99402360]

Same as you. Eating out category in my head is food and drink. Anything I eat out that isn’t part of my grocery shop.

[Nsteer (Nathan Steer)]

Yh, same. “Eating out” feels wrong for my Starbucks, but it’s the closest fit…

[ashadmaan (Amied Shadmaan)]

I actually thought it made perfect sense