Handy gadget for a weeding fool

I'm a sucker for inexpensive tools that make annoying tasks, well, less annoying. For instance, my kitchen is filled to the brim with all kinds of gadgets that make repetitive tasks quicker and measurements more accurate. It seems that my habit is not limited to the kitchen.

Recently, I purchased a couple of weeders to see if they would help with the inordinate amount of weeds that have decorated the area around our house. At one time, there was grass there. You see, last year (during the drought) we really didn't water our grass. Oops. Oh, we put the sprinklers out every now and then when the watering schedule allowed. But it just wasn't the same as having a sprinkler system that could target many areas in a short amount of time. And we really didn't want to spend extra money since our water bill stays pretty high throughout the year. We didn't fertilize and didn't use any pre-emergents. Oops again. It's so bad you can see the property lines we share with out neighbors--the weeds designate the area that belongs to us.

So now that you know the back story, I can tell you about my new favorite gardening gadget. It's the OXO Good Grips Gardening Weeder. It's lovely because the design of the tool allows you to pop the weeds out of the ground and pull up the roots too. And you should know that it's a little bit of an obsession for me. Even though it may be a futile task, I enjoy cleaning things up and making the yard look less shaggy. I'm also hoping to encourage the bits of grass to grow and spread. At least until I'm ready to remove it and plant something better!

Do you have any handy tools that make life easier? How about weeding tools that you can use with your feet? This one can be a bit tough on the hands and back.