Hi L.,
I've been in your position and have some advice for you. If you want to have a "business" at home, then you are going to have to pay money to start. You can't start any business without some sort of investment. There are companies out there with small start up costs. If you want a work at home "job" than that is different. "Jobs" you should not have to pay any money for. There are several types of work at home "jobs" that pay an hourly wage. Virtual assistants, medical transcriptionists, and call center associates are common "jobs" that you can do at home. They pay anywhere between $7 and $10 per hour. The "catch" if you will to these is that you need to put in typically 5 hours per day 5 days a week. Some companies are different (and someone here can correct me), but that's the norm. The other option is to search the newspapers and online career sites for "real jobs" and then interview and find out if it's something you can do off-site (at home).
If you want a business - something that can give you more freedom, more opportunity for long term income, and the opportunity to earn a "better than a job" income, you've got way more options. Obviously you have the home party companies - Tupperware, Partylite, Avon, Arbonne, Melaleuca - there are a ton of them. The market is quite saturated with these companies unless you can hop on with a newer company that is still growing. The problem with these is that most people are "home partied out" if that makes sense! lol Also, the way the economy is, people aren't spending disposable income as much on these home parties.
Take a look at what you are good at. What do you have a passion for? Are you crafty? Do you have a product/service that meets a need that not many others are fullfilling. For example, look at those decoration things for the clogs. A stay at home mom came up with those and is worth millions. What are your goals? How much extra money do you want per month? These are all good questions that need answers. Are you an entrepreneur? What at home businesses out there have an easy to use system, a long standing success track record?
Stay away from stuffing envelopes or surfing online or answering emails or placing ads. Anything that promises you $5000 a day in less than 24 hours (you know the ones I'm talking about) are scams.
Unfortunately, if you're like me, you want to be making money today. However, you need to do your research. The more research and soul searching you do, the better chance you will have to be successful in whatever you decide.
I hope that helped some! Good luck!