TY  - JOUR
AB  - Little is known of how accounting is used in the home, or about the potential relevance of business‐like techniques in this domain. This paper reports findings from an exploratory study into the practices of home accountants. Ten cases based on interviews with both accountants and lay people were used to investigate four broad areas of accounting practice: budgeting, record‐keeping, decision making and long‐term financial planning. The findings suggest that simple accounting practices are used in the home to serve multiple purposes. Domestic cash budgets, financial records and decision‐making rules of thumb offer a valued sense of financial control and security. Home accounts are also drawn on in rationalising financial choices, and accounting practices reinforce a personal sense of identity. This study revealed little difference between the practices of accountants and those of lay people, suggesting that the “mind‐set” and practices of home accountants may be attributed to factors other than command over technique. Any “theories” of home accounting and prescriptions for practice may have limited relevance, therefore, if they fail to account for the particular characteristics of the home as an accounting domain.
VL  - 13
IS  - 4
SN  - 0951-3574
DO  - 10.1108/09513570010338267
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/09513570010338267
AU  - Northcott Deryl
AU  - Doolin Bill
PY  - 2000
Y1  - 2000/01/01
TI  - Home accountants: exploring their practices
T2  - Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal
PB  - MCB UP Ltd
SP  - 475
EP  - 501
Y2  - 2024/04/24
ER  -