EAST BAY — You never know what you’re going to find.

It might be a scratched but serviceable coffee table for $5, or a mug for a quarter.

Yard sales hold an undeniable lure to treasure-hunters who spend Saturday mornings in search of bargains. Some shop the sales week after week, others take a look on occasion. Those holding the sales earn some cash and often spend time outdoors with neighbors or friends as they wait for the next shopper to stop by.

At the end of June, East Bay Classifieds listed 30 yard sales from Barrington to Westport. Some listed tools, “kid stuff,” antiques or Christmas items. Others claimed “something for everyone.”

Among the items offered at sales in the East Bay on June 27 were two matching champagne flutes for 25 cents each, an unopened set of cookie cutters for 50 cents, a wide range of books from a quarter to $3 each, and a Laser sailboat for $1,500.

On Roma Street in Bristol recently, friends and neighbors Cheryl Klek and Michael Couture set up rows of tables to hold hundreds of items including mugs, a lamp in the shape of a lighthouse, a bread box and handmade birdhouses.

Ms. Klek said this is the first yard sale she has had in town since she moved to Bristol in recent years. She believes the yard sale bug may have bitten more people lately.

“I think a lot of people are going to yard sales because of the economy,” she said.

Lorna Reynolds and her mother, Thelma Guay, looked over the assortment of merchandise on Roma Street. They said checking out the yard sales is a common Saturday morning activity for them.

“We’ve been going every week, forever, since we were kids,” Ms. Reynolds said.

At the Roma Street sale, mother and daughter picked up a pillar candle and a decorative holder for multiple candles designed to go on the wall, for just a few bucks. When asked their favorite yard sale find ever, Ms. Guay mentioned an old quilt bought for $5.

It’s all relative

A succession of hand-lettered signs on green poster boards led to another Bristol sale, this one on Milford Street. Several neighbors and relatives combined their castoffs and treasures into one large backyard event. Many of the homes on Milford street are owned by the same extended family — cousins, parents, in-laws and grandparents.

Gino DiSano sold items along with her cousins, John Coccio and Deb Coccio. Among the items for sale were books, a free-standing wood-framed mirror, clothes strung up for display and a big blue Rubbermaid box with an artificial Christmas tree inside.

Mr. Coccio’s children — Ryan, 12, and Matt, 15 — were also looking to make some quick cash at the sale. Matt was selling things to make money for the carnival on the Bristol common. By mid-morning, quite a few items had found new owners.

“We had plenty of leftover stuff — extra clothes, furniture. We had bought a new Christmas tree, and my wife (Beth) loves to read books. Everybody loves to bargain hunt,” Mr. Coccio said.

‘No early birds’

Some people hosting yard sales add the words “no early birds” to their listing, which may not be as effective as a momentary merchant might wish. For a sale on Chapin Road in Barrington, Kristen Mitchell added the three words to her ad, to no avail.

“They told me they weren’t going to listen to that. They started lining up at 6:15. I started bringing stuff out at 6:30, and they came in,” she said.

An early riser herself, Ms. Mitchell said it didn’t really bother her, even though the sale was listed for 7 a.m. She said most of the early arrivals were looking for specific things such as records, jewelry, antiques or video games.

Cindie DeMello joined her friend and neighbor at the yard sale, spending time outside on a sunny day and helping out on occasion. At times a whole group of treasure-hunters may show up at a sale at once, clogging the roadway with cars. Any extra help they receive is a welcome site.

Debby Wajda and her daughter, Laura Wajda, checked out the Chapin Road sale. Mother and daughter decided to purchase a full set of dishes, with a bright border pattern that included animals and faces of people.

“It reminds me of Mardi Gras; it’s a crazy design. I like the colors. For $5 you can’t go wrong,” Debby Wajda said.

Early morning bargain-hunters were up with the dawn for a sale in Warren. Laura Comley posted a sale on Craigslist and put up signs, lightening the load of her possessions before moving to Arizona to take a job as a school psychologist.

She said a man showed up at her door shortly after 5 a.m. At that time nothing was set out; just a sign was in evidence, put up the night before. The bargain-hunter woke up Ms. Comley by knocking on the door, then asked if it was too early.

“I said, ‘You woke me up. It starts at 8:30.’ ”

Ms. Comley said the same man was back at 8 a.m. and she opened the sale at that time. Ms. Comley made about $300, with just about everything sold for $2 or less. Books, DVDs, videotapes, kitchen items and cold-weather gear she wouldn’t need once she moved were all part of the mix. She said she enjoyed the experience, despite the annoyance of losing some sleep in the early morning hours.

“This is the first time I’ve ever attempted a yard sale. It’s really fun to wheel and deal with people,” she said.