REGIONAL – Last week, we at this paper looked at the ways in which we spend money to stay even with our incomes. We looked at budgeting methods, ways we work economics through our families, and where our big worries lie. We touched on savings, bankruptcies, credit spending, and what we consider frills. Call it true home economics, something you won't hear spoken about on campaign trails, especially as reported by our national news media.

This week we look at where our money comes from, and how our economic balancing acts affect our dreams and aspirations, our overall "quality of life."

"The late 2000's contraction in the economy led to the loss of my teaching job after thirteen years," notes one of our writers. "In the five years since then I have earned my living as a companion to a 90 year old lady until her death, as a freelance journalist, as a waitress, a house painter, a substitute teacher, and as a small business owner. In my current five-job life I bring home approximately half of the income I did as a tenured teacher. I don't get paid days off and the insurance is nowhere near as comprehensive. "

"Both of us write for a living, in very different areas of that profession. Our income stream comes from many sources, some of which behave like rivers in the western deserts — dry for years and then a flood. Others are like oil wells... an initial gusher, and then a decline to a small, steady flow for years," says another. "Not rich by any means... However, through some careful management and an inclination to be frugal, we manage reasonably well. One important aspect of this has been paying off the mortgage on our house a dozen years back. That helped us through a difficult period, when more income streams ran dry than gushed."

Then there's the writer who's always having to explain how little what we do here pays. She remembers what it was like when she was young and her father worked late hours. Then he got sick, and eventually passed away, and her mother had to work even harder, as did the kids.

"We instituted a new family tradition — the birthday shoebox. To defray costs, my parents devised a plan for birthdays: we could only get or give what fit into a shoe box," she recalled. "After my dad got sick, money no longer mattered in the same sense it did before. We couldn't 'keep up with the Jones', nor did we care too. We had to rely on each other more, but it didn't feel like making do. The absence of money made us stronger. I learned valuable lessons in home budgeting then. I learned to play the cards I was dealt — and to make the best of them and I learned that hugs and dinnertime laughter is priceless."

A more veteran writer talked about the need to stay flexible.

"We are always looking for new ways to bring a little money into the household. We have tried a number of freelance income streams like writing, editing, voice-over work, and making handcrafted items, and have picked up part-time hourly work for periods of time," he summarizes. "In my experience there is really no such thing as a job; even the hourly work I've done has been as an independent contractor whenever possible. Unemployment may be going down, but that doesn't mean companies are actually hiring. No one wants to commit to an employee."

How did all this hit his dreams, or any of our sense of a quality of life?

"Money is like the tide: it ebbs and flows. I know that we don't always have to be bringing in more than we are spending, but I'm also aware that a lot of what we spend is to accelerate debt repayment, and we could shift to paying the minimum at any time," said the veteran writer. "I'm a strong believer in living under our means to provide for a brighter future. Part of that is holding the line on energy costs. We made the choice to borrow money to insulate the house, but we also keep the heating and cooling costs down in other ways. The thermostat doesn't go above 60 here; we wear sweaters in January; we also haven't turned on our lone air conditioning unit yet this summer. If we had an unexpected income stream, I'd put as much of it towards paying off debt as our marriage could bear."

Then there's the family man who, coming from a college teacher's family, still puts all he can towards travel, as long as it equals savings. He and his wife discuss amounts — she came from a family that lost riches at one point, and sees "quality of life" as a key means towards well-being — but have found ways to feel comfortable with their income and outflow streams, even if it's less than some but more than many.

"You have to look at what works for you," he says. "If you travel, you get a different perspective, as well as things that reverberate through the dry times. You have friends everywhere. In the end, you have to be able to keep learning, to always find new ways to make your lives meaningful and rich in spirit, if not in actual money."

"We watch what we spend, not obsessively, but with some care. We eat well, but simply; we dine out only occasionally... Our favorite relaxation activities are inexpensive," adds another veteran writer with a similarly professional spouse. "I run, she walks and does yoga exercises. Now and then we go to the movies, or a concert, or visit New York City. But these are occasional expenses. "

"My car is getting up there in miles and I don't go clothes shopping anymore but all in all the financial insecurity is balanced out by the contentment of working from home and copious free time," says the writer of many jobs. "Making my own hours and living on a budget is a fair trade... I live a very simple life in my cottage in the woods."

"Life is all about choices. I work the job I have because I love it," added the writer who gets asked why she works for so little. "I get up every morning feeling like a big fish in a little pond. I get called or emailed urgent problems and I try my best to solve them. I go to meetings and meet interesting people, learn new things, and then, as a wordsmith, I hammer out little chunks of information until they come together, in one united story, to share with my readers.

She pauses, then reflects more.

"Sometimes I feel like supermom, and the sting of missing money from our checking account doesn't hurt so badly," she adds. "Sometimes I feel like superwoman — the big fish in a little pond —and I think that's more gratifying than a huge check would be."