Garages

Confession: while walking the Jack Russell, I am fascinated by looking in people's open garages as I pass by. Voyeuristic, probably. Creepy, probably. I just like seeing what people have in their garages since it can frequently be the dumping grounds of a person's house. The dirty items, the unloved items, the large items, the single-purpose items, the forgotten storage and the well-loved hobbies all seem to end up in the garage.

Sometimes I wonder how often they use the items in their garage. I don't use my garage items frequently except for the broom and the dog food bin. The only portion of my garage that has been covered in my minimalization efforts was my Christmas stuff/gift wrap box. I'm definitely due for a serious go-through!

But since it's more fun to look at other people's stuff, I've categorized my neighbor's garage styles:

• Lots of stuff, unorganized. Dump it all in the garage! Old mattresses, couches, boxes, boxes, boxes, cereal boxes, broken toys, multiple lawn mowers, who knows what else, it's all in a pile.
• Lots of stuff, organized. Much like the previous style, but tidier. People do this in two ways: either the garage is completely packed but with little paths here and there or completely packed with room to park a car.
• Kid oriented. Plastic playlands! Bikes, Barbie cars, lots of sports equipment, but usually enough room to get in & out of the van/SUV pretty well. Well-pathed grocery route.
  
• Hobby oriented. These people's activities (or intended activities) can be clearly seen based on their garage choices. Woodworking, yard maintenance, sports, golf, car repairs, etc. There are typically shelving systems & some version of organization that makes using hobby equipment easy.
  
• Car parking oriented. The car must have easy access! All extraneous stuff is either hung up on the walls or strategically placed to provide the most efficient routes to the car possible.
• Garage? What? This is my hella-cool porch! Most of the duplexes near me take this approach, whether college students or families (but I have yet to see it in a single-family dwelling). Lawn chairs, couches, grills, refrigerators, dart boards, ping pong tables, pool tables, oh yeah. But these garage-porch devotees really use their garages!
  

I am a mostly car parking oriented. What's your garage style?

And the award for "Most Creative Garage" goes to the college boys at the end of the block for turning their garage into a ping-pong haven and hookah lounge.