Spare me the clutter.

In my quest to rid my home of clutter this past year, I have been culling out junk that has not been used or touched in years. The Christmas/Chanukkah season tends to pull us in the other direction, and there is some laughable stuff that just arrived in the circular from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Can't manage to find your cupcake pan? Why not buy a 30-dollar machine that takes up 4 times as much room and give it to your child:

Like popcorn? Why not buy a machine that takes up many square feet of storage space in your home. For a mere 99 dollars, you can make family movie night an unforgettable experience, and storage an unforgettable nightmare:

Feel a desire for cotton candy? For 40 dollars you can purchase your very own cotton candy maker that "turns any hard candy into cotton candy, including sugar free". Now all you have to do is decide if it will take up space in your kitchen cabinet, your unfortunate child's closet, the garage, basement or attic.

And this was all on the first page. Need I go on? Maybe you want a flashlight on a tripod? Binoculars that are a digital camera?

Or if you really want to splurge, you can buy a 150-dollar Shiatsu Massage back cushion that your children will enjoy for about a month or two before it breaks and ends up in the garbage can. Or you can refuse to use it, saving the delicate machinery for an emergency, store it in the closet, garage, basement or attic, then donate it to a deserving charity in about 5 to 10 years.

Happy Shopping!