by Tory Johnson

While millions of people dream about making money without leaving the comfort of home, it's also important to note how to avoid losing it too. While there are many legitimate ways to make money at home, there are some simple steps you can take to steer clear of the scams so your money and time aren't wasted.

By Carol Tice

Time was, you had to be a graphic designer, a consultant or a freelance copywriter if you wanted to ditch your cubicle and make money in your pajamas. But advances in technology have brought work-from-home jobs to nearly every business sector. If you're ready to trade your morning car-commute for a quick stroll over to your home computer, consider these unusual work-from-home possibilities.

Last updated 10/09

By Molly Hallman, Payscale.com

Can you imagine how simple your life would be if you never had to drive to work? If you have the self-discipline to work from home, the right opportunity could help you get back those commute hours and gain some extra time each day to do whatever you want. If you're wondering where you can find such a job in a waning economy, here are seven companies hiring for work from home right now.

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Working from home is typically seen as an alternative to jobs that require you to work from an office or outside location. Part-time work-from-home jobs are a great way to earn extra cash during your free time at home. A few jobs may require an on-site presence on the weekend or periodically, but in general, these are options that won't disrupt your daily gig.

In general, these are options that won't disrupt your daily gig.

By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com Writer

What's the worst part of your workday? Is it your job or all the work you do just getting to and from the office? Consider how much time you spend on packing your lunch, sitting in rush hour twice a day, deciding which grocery store is easiest to get to on the way home, not to mention the money you spend on dry cleaning your clothes.

Thanks to e-mail, remote desktops, PDAs and other technology, you can bypass these inconveniences and just work from home.

Many employers now include optional work-from-home days as an employee perk, and others are even making certain positions permanently home-based. In the last few years, the job market has seen an influx of companies that only hire at-home workers.