As seen on tv

Don't laugh, but I've really been meaning to post about this since I started this blog.

I just wanted to promote two As Seen on TV items that really are quite handy.

In an attempt to be somewhat funny/clever, I bought both of these for Joe. As it turns out, they're both quite effective and really do what they said they would.


The Clapper

Joe used to complain about having to get out of bed to turn off the light (he didn't have a light on his night stand). We would frequently joke that if he had the clapper this issue would be resolved. So thinking I was clever, I got it for him for Christmas.

For the $20 or so that it cost, it's made things so much easier. You can plug two items in and one responds to two claps, the other to three. There is a clap indicator light so you can see if your claps have "registered" on the device.

It is so easy to use and it's great to not have to get out of bed to shut the light. However, when I walk on the hardwood floors in heels, I have a tendency to inadvertently turn on the bedroom light. It's silly, but hardly a reason to not give the clapper a try.

The Handy Switch

Here's another product that would normally have me rolling my eyes at the commercial.

Like many apartments, Joe's living room has plenty of outlets, but no light switches or overhead lighting. As a result, he has two halogen lamps in the room. The problem was that you had to walk all the way in to the dark room to turn them on. Enter the Handy Switch.

According to the commercial, you could plug an item in to this outlet base and then use a remote switch to turn it on from up to 30 feet away. Joe cleverly plugged both of the lamps in to an extension cord and then plugged the extension cord in to the Handy Switch plug. From there he was able to mount the switch by the entrance to the room. Walk in, flip the switch, and light up the room. It's quite clever.

So while I do still roll my eyes at many of the As Seen on TV commercials, I have to say that some of them are actually sound ideas.

Speaking of which, has anyone seen the one for the convertible purse? While not my style, I think it's a clever idea.

Any other As Seen on TV product recommendations?