Yes, Yes, and Yes!!

I have been successfully working from home for the last two years...but that success came only after years of failed attempts (my husband and I had always planned for me to stay home once we started a family...and so, in an effort to be 'proactive', I started looking for at home work well before my first baby bump). I don't think anyone should have to suffer at the hands of a dream, so I've decided to put together a little "no nonsense" guide for working from home. Most people learn about working from home through trial and error...but, if you're smart, you'll learn from THEY'RE mistakes instead of making your own. Here's hoping you learn from some of my mistakes.

The first thing I tried to do from home was one of those 'power mall' deals...the mall I joined required you to buy from your own store and encourage others to buy from your store as well. It was a pyramid...and because I wasn't about to beg my friends and family to by generic deodorant (or some other ambiguous product). Who wants to do that?? This might work for you if you're a great salesman...I however, am not.

If you're into sales, you may find the power mall approach to be a good choice, but if you're looking for an honest and 'anti-stress' income, it's probably not your best choice.

After that, I tried medical transcription...the process of medical transcription took forever...I trained for a long time and learned a lot, but in the end, I learned that starting out as a transcriptionist from home is next to impossible if you want to make any amount of money. Most transcription companies require in house employment for a while prior to allowing you to work from home...

When I finally did get transcription work from home, I didn't get much support - I had to fight for work and found myself rushing through it in order to enough done to make even fifty dollars. Needless to say, rushing causes errors, therefore I spent more time editing than transcribing and it ended up being an exhausting job. I wanted to work from home to be with my kids, but this took more of my time that an regular 9 to 5 would have...at the urging of my husband, I eventually abandoned it.

If you're an experienced medical transcriptionist, I highly recommended transcription from home..but if you're a newbie as i was, it's not a good idea...you need the chance to get your feet wet in a facilty that offers live support. In fact, most companies won't hire you at all unless you've worked "in house" for at least 24 months.

I tried countless MLM plans and other "millionaire promsises" type home businesses...DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!!! I know they sound good, but take it from someone who knows, most of them are total scams.

FINALLY...I began reading more literature on working from home, and I found my very first promising approach...the first thing I did was buy a domain name and gear it toward a passion of mine (www.personaltrainyou.com).

While my web site alone wasn't making much money, I began to link it to blogs and set up an Adsense account. Slowly but surely, I started to make money..,mind you, I knew nothing about Adsense or blogging at the time, but I began to educate myself.

Nonetheless, I wasn't making enough money to amount to anything...so, I had to find something else while I educated myself on Adsense and other PPC campaigns...

That's when I found www.tjobs.com - this is a site that posts legitimate work from home opportunities carefully reviewed to be scam free. I was able to get a few projects from tjobs before moving on to freelancing.

Freelance writing has been my savior while buidling my Adsense and PPC income. But the beauty of freelancing is that there are truly jobs available for everybody.   Wheter you want to do data entry or illustration - there is work out there for you.

I currently work from home with a single company that has hired me to do corporate blogging on a daily basis. I write on my own time, take care of my kids, etc. And make a decent living.

My freelance work as combined with my Adsense and PPC income is finally providing me with the income I was looking for when I got started.

BUT you don't have to write to freelance. Visit www.getafreelancer.com or www.elance.com for the best two freelance sites. There are countless others, but I've found these two to be the best.

I am still learning about Adsense and PPC income...and I'm still freelancing, and I'm happy to say that all my efforts are FINALLY paying off...my husband and I prioritized my staying at home with our kids - and now, we're doing it comfortably and paying all our bills on time ;)

I love having money to go shopping when I want...we're planning a BIG vacation this year...AND we have no money stress for the first time since our oldest was born.

Take this opportunity to learn from my mistakes...and reap the benefits of the education I've gotten over the years.