earning a living...

Those who have learnt vedas must recite them after pooja. Though classically this should last an hour or so, hardly anyone do so. One should try to recite at least a chapter if not then at least a part of a chapter. Those who have not learnt the vedas properly should learn and recite at lest the beginning verses of the four vedas.
What of those who don't have a 'right' to vedas? They should recite verses from the divine books like Thiruvasakam, Bhagavat gita etc.
After this now one goes out to earn money for the sustenance of the family. If you have been wondering whether I will get around to this here is the answer. our shastras and kalpas or realistic. They know the plight of a family holder, so they have given the ways and means to earn a living. Of course, they lay down restrictions about who can do what work. All these things are discussed in detail in Dharma sastras.
One should earn money in a way that is not proscribed.
Classically teaching and other intellectual workis the job of Brahmins, The kshatriyas take up jobs that depend on the body strength like police, defense etc. The vaishyas are the traders. The shudras do much of the legwork, which has multiplied a lot nowadays. Such a division of labor was called varnasrama dharma.
This age-old system is in shambles now, and many people have taken up jobs that do not belong traditionally to that class. However, many new jobs have sprung up in one wonders where to put them up. Therefore, let us not go into the controversies.

One should work as much as the money received is worth. Just attending an office and pocketing money without doing any work is to be frowned upon.
Let us now see how to manage this money that has been earned. One sixth goes to the King - that is tax. Nowadays, since we don't trust the governments, we go about looking how to reduce the tax burden.
You'd have other one sixth goes to charity. The rest of the money is ours to spend as they see fit. Money earned and distributed thus is good money that does not carry any karma along with that.. one can boldly receive money from such people as donation. Otherwise money carries – sort of tainted – with ones karma and is transmitted.
what to say about the mass that hankers after the freebies announced by political parties and vote for them? One can only pity them. :-(