I don't have a background in accounting, but my understanding is that assets, and the depreciation of assets, should be included in the budget. So, the way to f

I don't have a background in accounting, but my understanding is that assets, and the depreciation of assets, should be included in the budget. So, the way to frame you examples would be that your costs are the food you consume from your fridge and pantry, not the transition of money to groceries; and the cost for your roof was its depreciation due to age over time, not the transfer of money to a new roof. (I'm not making a claim as to whether this is actually how budgeting is done, in practice).