| What happens to everything unwanted and | | | | $4.00made a wonderful prop for children's portraits. A |
| unneeded, but too good to discard? On the first | | | | barely visiblemanufacturer's badge bowed to the |
| Saturday in May, garage sales sprout like dandelions in | | | | magic of a digital restoration. Sprayed with lacquer |
| the lawn. The terrible signs only hint at their | | | | paint in its original colors, it glowed with new life. |
| whereabouts and serve only to feed your | | | | After appearing in dozens of portraits, a neighbor |
| anticipation. You must time your arrival fifteen | | | | paid metwenty dollars for this collectible. The |
| minutes before the advertised start. Earlier and they | | | | possibility of finding real gold can't be ignored. My |
| won't let you in - later and all the goodies will be | | | | wife once bought a solid gold bracelet for $2.00. |
| gone. | | | | One spring, after partially retiring, I decided to take |
| I look for anything of value that promises some | | | | up golf after a thirty year golf break. Of course, I |
| enjoyable hours in the shop to make it look and | | | | owned no clubs, bag, orshoes. A new outfit would |
| work like new. Once I found athree-quarter sized | | | | cost $400.00 so I went garage salehunting. Another |
| violin for $5.00; a low price because ofnumerous | | | | guy and I spotted a ten year old set of clubs at the |
| scratches in the finish, a missing bridge and | | | | same time but I walked swiftly to get there first. I |
| brokenstrings. Twenty shop hours later (over a | | | | paid $15.00 for the set. Complete except for a putter |
| period of three weeks) this German-made copy of a | | | | and shoes. The next day I found a pair of new golf |
| Stradivarius sported a new hand rubbed finish and all | | | | shoes in my size set out for pick-up. |
| the parts necessary for it to play like new. A music | | | | Talk about luck. A new putter was a birthday gift |
| teacher gladly paid $50.00 for it so her daughter could | | | | from my wife. |
| start violin lessons. With several selections on your | | | | People discard their old bicycles by the dozens. |
| arm, don't be afraid to bargain with the owner | | | | Daughters go to college, rich kids upgrade and |
| whose priorities include clearing the place as quickly as | | | | families move. Five reconditioned bikes later, I saved |
| possible. | | | | enough for the bike I wanted -- a hybrid cruiser 18 |
| I look for unwanted vacuums (often just jammed | | | | speed. If I had to set a value on garage sale hunting, |
| with dirt), European-made toys, designer handbags, | | | | I'd give ten per cent to saving money on needed |
| old sheet music, better cutcrystal, top-of-the-line hi-fi | | | | items and ninety per cent to the joy of fixing them |
| speakers with blown or rotted cones and small pieces | | | | up. |
| of furniture. A 1940 luxury tricycle priced at | | | | |