The American dream used to be the ideal of the "self-made man" — the person who has made their own fortune via the "land of opportunity."  These days, though, it seems that the American dream is now to make money at home.  Working from home has many advantages, including an easy secondary income, and the freeing up of the time spent commuting, hanging out at the water cooler, and dealing with office politics — time that can be better spent with your family.

Here are three ways to live the American dream and work from home.

1. Make money with online auctions.  Selling via online auction sites such as eBay is quickly becoming the most popular home business available to most Americans.  Setting up an "eBay store" is easy and fast, and most sellers can make a decent supplementary income while only working part-time to maintain their "store."
2. Join an affiliate program.  Affiliate programs are usually set up so that you use your own resources (such as your website or blog) to sell a product for another company, and earn a commission for all sales that are made through you.  The most popular example is Amazon.com’s affiliate program, where affiliates post detailed picture links and ads for Amazon products on their own websites and blogs.
3. Become a consultant.  You could choose to be a consultant for a company, perhaps in a setup where you earn commissions for the products you sell — there are a lot of these types of programs available, particularly in industries aimed at women, such as makeup, clothing, and kitchenware.  You could also be an indepedent consultant, consulting companies on everything from human resources issues to corporate branding.

There are many options available for those who want to work from home.  These are only a few ideas, but hopefully they will help you get started to achieving your dream.

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