Homemade Fire Starter

I get the newspaper each day, mainly because I write for the newspaper and want a print copy of my articles.

I could donate them to a local farm that would chop them up and use them for bedding, but we heat with wood and coal, so I have found they make an excellent fire starter.

Sometimes I just tear them up and mix them in with some sticks. But for a better fire starter, I make my own logs.

I soap a 2-4 piece section of newspaper (not the glossy ad parts) and lay the wet papers out flat. Inside I add twigs and sticks (already dead and fallen ones) and roll them into logs. I let the wet paper dry before bringing them in -less messy and the paper, when dry, sticks to itself and holds the whole thing together, making for easy stacking in a basket or bin.

These are much more Earth friendly than the prepaged kind that come by the case at stores. Cheaper, too. Even if you don't get the newspaper, my bet is some neighbor, friend or relative does, and would be glad to give them to you for free.