Use your garage to beat the credit crunch?

Many of us are hoarders and new research reveals, two-thirds (62%) of people in the UK use their garages to store household items as well as tools and gardening equipment, as opposed to its intended purpose for storing cars. Householders revealed that the value of items stored in their garage was worth between a massive £2.5 - £5.1 billion, equivalent to the average Brit storing goods valued between £501 and £1000 in their garage.

A further 13% revealed that items in the garage were worth between £2001-£5000. With a recession looming, and the UK facing a grim financial picture, many UK consumers could turn to garage/car boot sales for a quick and easy way to supplement their income.

But if a garage sale doesn't appeal, there are plenty of other options:

Convert the garage into another room to increase the value of your property: the average conversion will cost between £6,000 and £10,000, but can add up to 6% to the total value of the home.

Sell the garage independently from the main home.

With parking space limited especially in the cities, try renting out the garage - spots in central London go for as much as £250 per month.