Several things happen when you input a credit card spend transaction into Ascend.  For instance if I spend $50 on groceries at Safeway on my American Express card I would click spend in Ascend.  I would input the date, amount, choose my Am Ex card and then select my grocery envelope.  When I click save three things have happened: 

1.  $50 was added to my balance on my Am Ex card.�
2.  $50 was withdrawn OUT of my grocery envelope.�
3.  $50 was deposited INTO my AM Ex payment envelope.

Any new charges you input into Ascend on a credit account are set aside into the payment envelope so you can pay off the balance of what you charged if you choose to at the end of the month.  If you don’t pay off the balance you can always transfer between envelopes from the payment envelope to another envelope.