Our home accountants considered their financial practices to reflect their
values and attitudes towards life, and therefore their identity. Financial
security and independence were important concerns made visible and
monitored via budgets and bank balances. Attitudes to home financial
management were often learned from parents, and in one case were consciously
passed to children. Where differences existed in attitude between partners, this
could be a source of tension. Financial attitudes and accounting practices
seemed therefore to form part of the fabric of both individual identities and
family bonds.