Great Gadgets for Mother's Day or Father's Day!

After attending the International Home and Housewares show, The Today Show filmed a 5-minute segment called "Housewares You Won't Be Able To Live Without".

The title is somewhat over-the-top but don't let that turn you off. The gadgets reviewed are both practical and inexpensive. They include:

1. Make-no-mess vegetable peeler for the kitchen
2. Efficient kabob tool for the grill
3. Grow-In-Your-Kitchen garden that grows like an outdoor one

Of over 2,000 products at the show, NBC selected seven. Watch the video to see them in action.

Gadgets don't improve a home's value but they can make life easier sometimes. And for homeowners, easier is often better.

Solve the Problem of Bulky Plugs

While home electronics advance, the basic extension cord has been slow to catch up.

This has created a size mismatch because today's devices tend to carry large size plugs, but the standard 6-outlet power strip is only meant for "skinny" ones.

Pictured at right: the solution.

Matching form and function, the ezSpace UFO provides 6 outlets in a recessed, circular pattern, eliminating the need for multiple power strips in a home or workplace environment.

In additon, the UFO's On/Off switch is located on its bottom instead of on top. This makes it far less prone to accidental shut-offs than a traditional power strip device.

These features, plus its tiny 6.25" footprint, have generated terrific press for the ezSpace UFO available for sale at Target, among other places.

The device retails for about $30.

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