Garage sales: the stuff of lean times

Maria LaLuz picked up a silver cooking pot from a stockpile of utensils and glassware. She turned it over, inspecting it carefully before making her offer — $1. Sold! It's the same routine every week now that the weather has cooled, ushering in garage sale season. LaLuz makes a list before heading out to the sales. A couple of Saturdays ago, it included pots, pans and a new coffeemaker. But like so many others, she isn't scouting bargains for fun. In these dismal days, it's all about a good deal. Garage sales, romanticized by classified-ad scourers, hobbyists and wheeling, dealing little old ladies, are in full swing, and some say with a greater force than ever. The sluggish economy has shoved many people out of their homes and their jobs. They need money; hence the marker-scrawled signs on telephone poles and community bulletin boards. They're everywhere — in New Tampa, in Lithia, in South Tampa and Seminole Heights.

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