A Fire Starter With Flare

We've used pine cones as kindlin' for quite awhile now and I just have to say...they work great!  There's just one problem---they go up quick!!  Some times that leaves you with a nice red glowing mass of what was once a stack of the little dudes but without a burning fire.  Solution:  Just add wax and a wick.  Voila!  You now have something that not only starts and burns easily but also has some staying power.  These wax- powered wonders are easy to make and make an awesome addition to your fire-starting arsenal.

1.  Pick up cones in mass.  If you don't have access to them check with friends and family.  If anyone you know has a few pine trees in or around their yard they will more than likely be happy to let you pick them up.  This saves wear and tear on their mower and you'll walk away with bags and bags of cones since pine trees produce and then drop a ton of them every year!

2.  Melt down a candle or two.  The ones that never burned right to start with or the ones whose wicks have given up the ghost are the best ones to sacrifice here.  You might also be able to pick up some spent candles at your local thrift store.  They can usually be bought on the cheap if you can find them.

3.  Make yourself a hook fashioned out of a piece of wire of some sort so that you can safely dip the cones into the hot wax and retrieve them.

4.  When you have your cones ready for dunking and your wax hot there is just one last step--Tying a bit of wick around a portion of the cone. This will give you a fuse to get the little guy started when you're ready for it to do its thing.  Wick material is relatively inexpensive.  It goes a long way, and it can be found at almost any hobby or craft store.

5.  Once you've tied your wick off you are ready for the deed.  Simply hook your wire around the cone and dip it into the hot candle wax.  After a few seconds, carefully pull your now wax-covered pine cone out of the wax and sit it on a safe drying area to cool.  You may find that you will want to do multiple dunks depending on the amount of wax that you want on each piece.

That's it!  Once the pine cones have dried you are ready for action.  Whenever you have the need for a fire starter with a little extra oomph, these guys will fit the bill!!


Fire starter with some kick

Sweet, Sweet Vinegar

There are a few things that are a "cannot go without" staple in a Runnin' Lean household.  One of these things would have to be vinegar.  There are few substances that can give you the bang for your buck that vinegar can.  On top of that...it's cheap too!!!  Our local big box bulk store carries it in a two jug box for around 5 bucks.  These are gallon jugs mind you.  Those jugs last us a long time and they can be used for sooo many things.  Here are just a few examples of the worthiness of vinegar:

1.  Cleaning.  Toilet bowls, bathtubs, stoves, refrigerators, the list goes on and on.  If it's greasy or grimy a little bit of vinegar can cut through it.

2.  Weed Killer.  Pour a little vinegar on those unwanted little buggers and watch them disappear but quick.

3.  Pickling.  One of my favorites!  The sky is the limit here.  Have more fresh veggies than you can use or care to can...pickle it with the help of your ole' buddy vinegar.

4.  Ant Invasion Deterrent.  Simply wash your countertops, cabinets, and floors with vinegar to keep the ants away.

5. Laundry Freshener. Add a little vinegar to the rinse cycle when washing something extra smelly (dog bed, gym clothes, etc). The stink will wash right out.

In fact, vinegar is good for so many things there's a good chance that you will replace a number of the items that are both cluttering your cabinets and emptying your wallet.  That makes vinegar very sweet indeed in my book;)

The Great Paper Chase

This Christmas a very good friend of ours gave us a set of beautiful napkins that she made as a gift.  It reminded us of how long it had been since we had picked up a roll of paper towels or super pack for that matter.  You know the kind that you get at your local big box bulk store...the kind that has taken a half or full tree to make depending on which pallet it's sitting on. That all changed a few years ago and we've never looked back.  We ultimately gave paper napkins and towels up for three reasons:

1. The cost
2. The waste
3. We had sets of perfectly good cloth napkins that we seldom if ever used

Now don't get me wrong.  We still have the need for the occasional paper towel, but I would say that a good 98% of our needs are now filled by our cloth napkins.  Another 1% is filled by rags that have been recycled from various cloths, towels, wash clothes, etc. that have served their original purpose but are ready for their next 'life' as they make the trip to the ole' rag bag.  That leaves a whole 1% to what used to be our go-to product for spills, messes, and general tidiness...paper towels.

Cloth napkins can be inexpensively found at most thrift stores, can be easily made, and best of all can be used time and time again year after year.  All of this means that you will no longer have to chase down the paper towel aisle of your local, (fill in the blank).  No more spending money on something that you are going to use once and then immediately throw away.  Plus, as an added bonus...I can tell you that at a set table there is no contest when it comes to display between a paper towel and a neatly folded cloth napkin!

And yes, when handmade out of stunning fabric they make great gifts:)    

Our Christmas gift:  A set of cloth napkins