In summary, all four categories of accounting outlined earlier were evident
amongst the practices of our interviewees. Some categories of practice were
more prevalent than others, however. Long-term financial planning was far less
of a concern for our interviewees than was short-term cash budgeting. Also, it
was difficult to distinguish boundaries between the four categories of
accounting. In particular, budgeting was integrally linked with record-keeping,
and decision making was closely associated with budgeting. Overall, there was
a sense of financial myopia. Accounting practices were more concerned with
short-term concerns (i.e. living within one's means) than with setting and
meeting longer-term financial targets. Even where savings were considered
important and were actively planned for, interviewees remained reluctant to
specify their long-term financial goals.