In Norway, one of the world's most developed nations, a considerable proportion of households still obtain income from more than one source. From the time rural North Norway was settled, households have combined production for sale with production for their own consumption and have exploited various resources to do so. The household's requirements determine how its resources are to be allocated and the relative amounts of income it obtains in cash and kind from each source. Household priorities are thus translated into a pattern of consumption, defined broadly to include free time. The strategy adopted for obtaining an income of not only the required size, but also of the required composition, is determined by this desired consumption pattern. In an economic system such as this, concepts such as job or occupation are limited in their usefulness. The activities performed in order to earn a living cannot be defined as jobs, or even part-time jobs. Of greater importance for the composition of the income spectrum is the "Technological and Administrative Task Environment" (TATE) which is defined as "a social constellation within which any household decision-maker technically acts". A household which exploits more than one income source has the advantage of not being entirely constrained by the section of the TATE associated with any one of them. Generally it has enough flexibility to alter the balance of its activities if circumstances change. (Author/NQ)