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INUVIK - Yard sales, garage sales, flea markets, and rummage sales.

Call them what you will, but people who go to these sales know that they are really treasure hunts and sales rolled into one. There aren't many people who can resist going in "just for a look." And it seems that everyone has their own strategies for getting the most out of rummage sales.

Tatiyana Arey shows off some of the cupcakes and cookies she helped bake for the Healthy Babies rummage sale held on Sunday at Ingamo Hall. Baby clothes were the hottest item at the sale. - Brodie Thomas/NNSL photo

The Inuvik Healthy Babies program held a rummage sale last Sunday at Ingamo Hall to raise funds for the program. Debbie Angasuk, Healthy Babies project officer, was in the kitchen at Ingamo putting icing on some cakes and preparing to bake some last-minute pies when the doors opened at 10 a.m.

"The participants of Healthy Babies made the cakes and the muffins," said Angasuk.

Everyone wins at a rummage sale. Each one is a tiny example of the free market, where sellers and buyers gather to haggle, wheel and deal. At this sale, Healthy Babies had its own table filled with donated items and baked goods. All proceeds from this table went to the program. Anyone who wanted to sell off their wares had to purchase a table for a small fee. That money also went to the program.

For the price of a table, sellers got to trade in their unused clutter for cold hard cash.

Gail Raddi was one of the sellers at this weekend's sale. She takes part in the Healthy Babies program so she used the sale to get rid of some of the baby clothes and toys her children had outgrown.

Raddi said she can usually be found on the other side of the table at garage and rummage sales. She said the big secret for finding deals is to get there early.

"I usually look for baby stuff and stuff for crafts because I do a lot of crafts."

Raddi couldn't think of her greatest yard sale deal.

"I don't know. There are just too many," she said.

Tatiyana Arey was selling some cookies, muffins and Rice Krispies squares she had baked the night before.

"It took until about one o'clock in the morning," she said.

Arey said she likes looking for toys when she goes to rummage sales.