Old is new again. And bargains (especially this time of year) are something shoppers with any size budget are more than happy to find. Just look in your own backyard, or better yet, someone else's--or several hundred someone elses', all conveniently relocated to ginormous parking lots across Southern California. Flea markets full of fantastic goodies for the vintage-crazed and discount-hungry are occurring every weekend. So we've rounded up a few of the best (in a few cases, best in the country) old and new favorite spots at which to discover that one-of-a-kinder while saving a buck or two. --Lyndsey Saul

ROSE BOWL FLEA MARKET

Where: 1001 Rose Bowl Dr., Pasadena

Information: www.rgcshows.com

Admission: $8, free for children under 12 beginning at 9 a.m. If you want to get a jump on the competition, admission is $10 from 8 to 9 a.m.; $15 from 7 to 8 a.m.; $20 from 5 to 7 a.m.

Shopping guide: This swap meet, operating 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the second Sunday of the month, is the one most likely to have Mission-inspired knickknacks and Duran Duran tchotchkes. Vendors from around the country offer unique antique collectibles and furnishings, exotic artifacts and clothing (both vintage and new). In fact, it would be difficult not to find something you like. A swap meet as big as this one - more than 2,200 vendors - can be daunting, so wear comfortable shoes, pack sunscreen and plan to stay awhile.

MELROSE TRADING POST

Where: 7850 Melrose Ave., L.A.

Information: (323) 655-7679

Admission: $2, $1 seniors and students, free for children under 12

Shopping guide: Fairfax High School has schooled two of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the controversial music genius Phil Spector. But lately, the institution is more famous for the rocking flea market held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday in its expansive parking lot. Around 160 vendors sell their goods, from vintage clothing to furniture, watches, jewelry, and toy and game collectibles. The central Fairfax-and-Melrose location draws a chic crowd walking off their brunch (for which options abound nearby). And its edited-down size means a trip there won't wear you out for the rest of the day. But one of our favorite aspects is that some of the proceeds go to the school's student organizations, making it one of the most successful ongoing events for our city's beleaguered school district - and thus, better justifying your purchase of yet another cute lamp.

GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SWAP MEET

Where: In the upper parking lot of the main campus, at Mountain Street and the Glendale Freeway

Information: (818) 548-0864, Ext. 5805

Admission: Free; parking is $2

Shopping guide: More than 150 vendors regularly display their goods at the college campus from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. the third Sunday of every month at this flea market founded in 1994. The 70,000-square-foot marketplace is packed with antiques, collectibles, furniture, toys and housewares. And hey, being it's on a college campus, you might just get a yearning to go back to school while you're plunking down money on some nostalgic trinket. And for Valley shoppers, the Glendale swap meet might come in extra handy soon, with the expected end-of-the-year closure of the Valley Indoor Swap Meet in Canoga Park.

ROADIUM OPEN AIR MARKET

Where: 2500 Redondo Beach Blvd., Torrance

Information: (800) 833-0304, www.roadium.com

Admission: $1 per car and driver, 50 cents for each additional passenger, 50 cents for seniors

Monday and Friday; 50 cents per person Tuesday and Thursday; $1.25 general, 75 cents seniors, with a $5-per-car maximum Wednesday; $1.50 per car and driver, 50 cents each additional passenger, $1 senior drivers, 50 cents if arriving by the free shuttle bus Saturday and Sunday; children under 5 are always free.

Shopping guide: Formerly a drive-in movie theater, the Roadium has been in operation since 1954, making it one of the oldest flea markets in California. It's open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily - Mondays are the designated day for antiques and collectibles; the rest of the week hosts more than 500 dealers selling overstock from department stores and a mishmash of discounted designer goods (use caution here - as in downtown L.A., many are fakes). Being more than 50 years old, the Roadium naturally has a legendary history, too. Back in the mid-'80s, it was the go-to place for burgeoning DJs to get the best underground records around, and it was on these very 15 acres that Eazy-E and Dr. Dre connected and L.A. hip-hop as we know it was born.

PASADENA CITY COLLEGE FLEA MARKET

Where: 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena

Information: (626) 585-7906, www.pasadena.edu/fleamarket

Admission: Free

Shopping guide: Although lesser known than its behemoth Pasadena counterpart at the Rose Bowl, this flea market - held 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. the first Sunday of the month, in the parking lots on the east and west sides of the Pasadena City College campus - has great vendors, offers free admission and parking, and includes one of the best record swaps in Southern California. (More than 70 album vendors, carrying genres ranging from big bands to present-day performers, are located on the east side of the PCC campus, on Bonnie Avenue.) Like the Rose Bowl, there are some choice antique furniture and accessories, as well as a strong showing of pop-culture collectibles.

LONG BEACH OUTDOOR ANTIQUE AND COLLECTIBLE MARKET

Admission: $5, free for children beginning at 6:30 a.m.; $10 for early-bird shoppers from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m.

Where: Veterans Stadium, 5000 E. Lew Davis St., Long Beach

Information: (562) 938-4018, www.longbeachantiquemarket.com

Shopping guide: Occurring every third Sunday of the month, this 25-year-old flea market has not only made the cut for various L.A. "best of" lists, it has been declared one of the top 10 in the entire country by antiques expert Harry Rinker. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., more than 800 vendors set up shop across 20 acres in Veterans Stadium, selling midcentury antiques, Bakelite jewelry, collectible lunch boxes, vintage clothes and other one-man's-trash-is-another-man's-treasures. Prices are wholesale, and even though many a swap-meet frequenter has complained that bargains are scarce here, it is possible to barter. Most dealers are willing to dish out a reasonable discount to polite hagglers.

Where: Santa Monica Airport, on Airport Avenue off of Bundy Drive

Information: (323) 933-2511

Admission: $5, $3 seniors, free for children; $7 for early-bird entry from 6 to 8 a.m. on the fourth Sunday of the month ($4 admission for the first Sunday of the month)

Shopping guide: On the fourth Sunday of every month, more than 250 vendors hawk furniture, antique jewelry, textiles, chandeliers and other treasures at prices much lower than the average antique shops. Organizers also hold a smaller sale on the first Sunday of the month, which usually does not feature the antique furniture booths. Vendors are vetted to weed out emptying-the-garage types.

SOUTH PARK FLEA MARKET

Where: Parking lot at Eighth Street and Grand Avenue, L.A.

Information: www.southparkfleamarket.com

Admission: $2, free for seniors, students with ID and children under 12

Shopping guide: Slated to launch in November, then December and now on Jan. 20, the South Park Flea Market is the brainchild of Phillip Dane (the man behind the Melrose Trading Post). When it does officially launch, the plans are to operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday in the up-and-coming South Park neighborhood in downtown L.A. More than 200 vendors will be selling vintage goodies, collectibles and other used items, plus new duds and accessories from L.A.-based designers. Dane is even promising a moon bounce to keep those kiddies occupied while you dig for your treasures. Be sure to check the Web site before checking it out, just in case another unfortunate delay arises.