How do you tell the scams from the real workfromhome stuff? Is it really fair to paint all the websites with the same brush? Sure, there are legit things. There are also scams. I won't pretend to tell you what is good and what is bad and what is a product of the flying spaghetti monster's little green angels.

For myself I judge a site by what is attainable. I'm never going to make big bucks. It is never going to allow us to work a few hours a week and make millions. I can, however, make about a hundred a month through five or six different companies, and this can pay a bill or two. There are companies out there who do, in fact, pay a few cents for reading emails and clicking through to the advertisement. That's not going to buy a cup of coffee more than once a month, but I don't have to spend significant time with it and it costs me nothing out of pocket. There are survey sites that cost nothing to join, and if you just hang with them long enough there are modest returns on that.

Maybe the key here is to not expect an instant fortune. We all want that big payday, the one that means we'll never have to work again and have enough money for anything we want. All I want is a few cents here and there. Squirrel it away in the savings account or in a jar under the bed. Forget about it. And then when you need to buy a tire or two, or when there's something completely unexpected and you have to float a check just to maintain a bare necessity- you will still be able to put gas in the car and feed your family. Even if it's not much, it will be enough.