I know what's in your garage

As I've previously complained, I run in the mornings. I try to stay focused on my breath and my stride and not slipping on unseen ice on the sidewalk and falling on my butt (again), but sometimes I get distracted: Mostly by people's garages.

First of all, I am amazed at the amount of garage doors that are open in the morning with little-to-no supervision. (Were they open all night long? Is someone about to come out and warm up their car? Did a bunny just hop into that garage?) But that thought is usually quickly replaced with, "Look at all the stuff crammed into that garage!"

There is no car in sight. Boxes are usually stacked to the ceilings, and there is usually a small walkway carved out between mountains of stuff. It makes me wonder why people are holding onto it all (do you really need everything in there?) or if they've just had it so long, they don't even see it anymore.

In our household, our two-car garage holds more than our vehicles: There are also tools, bikes, our trash bin and our son's outdoor toys in there. But, overall, it's a clean space. Maybe this is because I have such fears around hoarding that I try not to hold onto things I don't use often. Happily, my husband has the same philosophy, so we find ourselves cleaning out the house (and garage) at least once a year.

But maybe we're in the minority when it comes to thinking of the garage as a place for vehicles. As it turns out, a study in the U.K. revealed that lots of homeowners used garage space to expand their living space (with a new bedroom or spare office) or as overall storage space. Their cars ended up in the driveway or the street. In the past year my parents converted their garage into additional living space as well.

Are we alone in wanting to keep our cars in the garage? What's currently occupying the space in your garage? Tell me in the comments.