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Families turning to yard sales to make ends meet

By Felicia Cousart Matlosz, Source: MCT News Service

FRESNO, Calif. _ Steve Treat has never been big on yard sales. Until now he's held one, maybe two in his life. But this month alone he's had three at this northeast Fresno, Calif., home.

He had to do something to pay his bills.

Treat, a window installer, has seen a slowdown in work, and he suffered a heart attack in March. On Saturday, he put out tools, a dryer, a girl's bicycle, extension cords _ whatever odds and ends he thought might raise a buck to help him and his wife and four children get by.

"I've caught up on PG&E and utilities and paid some credit card bills," Treat said.

As the economy continues to slump, more people appear to be turning to garage and yard sales to make money for basics like gas and food. No one keeps track of the number of sales that crop up week to week, but across the country, news accounts paint the same picture of people trying to squeeze some value from long-neglected trinkets, garments and other house items.

In Frederick, Md., for example, one woman put up a sign at her yard sale that read: "We Need Ga$."

On San Ramon Avenue in northeast Fresno, Beatrice Becerril held her first-ever garage sale Saturday, hoping to snag some extra cash for things like the $100 she needs each week to run her enormous SUV.

Becerril's driveway was filled with piles of family clothes accumulated over 14 years. Even more hung from hangers racked along the raised garage door. The family is moving but has not yet found another home. The cash will come in handy.

"It will help us moneywise to get into another house," Becerril said as people plucked through her family's shoes and exercise equipment. But the money also is for everyday needs.

She's torn up all her credit cards. And the family doesn't go to movies any more. Instead, it's a trip to Blockbuster to rent DVDs.

"Gas is just too high," said Becerril, a one-time claims examiner and now homemaker. "Everything is going up, except for raises and jobs."

For friends and co-workers Pat Taylor and Marle Workmon, their first joint garage sale _ also held Saturday _ was part of their financial plan to be debt-free in 18 months.

Taylor is an account clerk and Workmon a secretary for a non-profit agency that helps people find jobs. The worsening economy spurred the two friends to grab hold of their own budgets. They follow the advice of financial guru Dave Ramsey in his book, "Total Money Makeover."

They're both building up emergency funds. They have stopped using credit cards and meticulously budget all expenses. They hold each other accountable. The garage sale allowed them to get rid of unused items but also helps with short-term costs.

"Honestly, we said if we can make enough to put some gas in our cars, we're happy," Workmon said.

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(c) 2008, The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.).