I was kind of amused this year seeing some relatives get so excited about receiving Snuggies for Christmas. Those certainly have taken off! But looking at them made me think of how much they and certain other “As Seen On TV” products resemble things you can get elsewhere in better quality or even already have in your home.

The Snuggie

Take a good look at the Snuggie Fleece Blanket. It’s essentially a backwards, extra long bathrobe without a belt. Flip your bathrobe around, put on some socks or throw a blanket over your legs, and who needs a Snuggie?

Topsy Turvy Upside-Down Tomato Planter

Topsy Turvy Upside-Down Tomato Planters aren’t bad, actually, but you can make your own pretty easily. My husband did one a few years back by drilling holes into a plastic bucket. Others make them out of the reusable shopping bags you can buy at the grocery store for $0.99.

Tomatoes certainly don’t mind growing upside down, but if you have the space they’re generally quite happy growing in the usual manner too. Most years we end up doing a little of each, but I think we’ve had the best results growing them right side up.

Aqua Globes

I’ll certainly agree that Aqua Globes work and look nice, but if looks don’t matter, try reusing instead.

You can reuse plastic gallon jugs to do this same work. They aren’t pretty, but they do the job and you aren’t sending the plastic off to the trash or to be recycled after just one use. I like the gallon jugs most because they tend to be sturdier and hold a lot of water.

You can use smaller plastic bottles, but some deform pretty easily and just don’t seem to do the job so well for us.

Aqua Globes are best if you really need to be concerned about appearances. It happens. If you’re using them in the front of the house, for example, your neighbors will probably be happier with the look of Aqua Globes over plastic bottles in the garden. But do remember that glass breaks.

Zorbeez Cloths

The reviews on Amazon on Zorbeez Cloths look pretty bad. That pretty much says it all. They’re supposed to be super absorbent but the consensus appears to be that they aren’t remotely absorbent.

If you want great cleaning cloths, there’s a reason why microfiber has become so popular. Get some good quality microfiber cleaning cloths and you will be much happier.

MagneScribe Pens

Oh, how easily you could replace the MagneScribe Pen with… oh, I don’t know, a regular pen? Are they really so complex to use? And do you really want a pen as a pendant around your neck? Most times sitting on the desk or in the junk drawer will suffice.

Handy Gourmet Vegetable Peeling Gloves

These are just a laugh. To use the Handy Gourmet Vegetable Peeling Gloves you have to first cook the vegetables a few minutes, then allow to cool, then start rubbing off the peels.

Hmm… that old vegetable peeler in the drawer is looking better and better, isn’t it? Throw it in the dishwasher when you’re done and it gets cleaned with all the other dishes. Throw the peels into the compost and they aren’t a waste. Life’s so much simpler.

Pancake Puffs

I mention the Pancake Puffs pan because my kids want one so very badly.

In reality, it’s nothing more than a renamed Aebleskiver pan. If you really want to try this, buy an Aebleskiver Pan instead so you can get something of better quality. If you really need the extras such as the injector you can find those too. Recipes you should be able to find online.

Buying an Aebleskiver pan instead of a Pancake Puffs pan won’t save you money unless you luck into one in an antique shop or thrift shop, but you’ll have the pleasure of denying that hideous “As Seen On TV” industry a little bit of money.

Of course there are many more of these products out there. “As Seen On TV” products are a great example of creating a need where there was none before. Consumerism at its worst for the most part.

Do you have a favorite? Favorite to hate?