Dryer Lint

     Since I began my little escapade to stop being so wasteful, I started saving my dryer lint.  I have about 3 gallon size Ziplock bags full of it.  I say I have but I meant I had.  I have found a very good use for dryer lint.  As you probably know, dryer lint is very flammable.  My family loves things that catch on fire.  The 4th of July is a  bigger holiday around here than Christmas.  I spend the entire year trying to gather up all the debris left from igniting hundreds of dollars worth of exploding happiness, that is the fire-cracker.  We have a very large fire pit that we use to roast marshmallows and  hot dogs.  My husband refuses to grill on anything other than real pecan wood.  His pallet is not that finicky, he just likes to build fires. We burn our trash and have a fireplace that is not gas but has to be carefully lit every night.  I hope our insurance agent never reads this.  Anyway, we love fire.  In the past we have spent quite a bit of  money on lighter fluid and when we don't have that we have been know to use a little gasoline to get a fire going.  That has not always worked out so well.  I have found however the perfect mix of flammable and safety.  I did not figure it out myself.  I learned it when my son was in Boy Scouts.  We saved up the cardboard egg cartoons and dryer lint and purchased canning wax and candle wicking.  You stuff each egg compartment with lint, slip into it a piece of wick about an inch and a half long, then pour melted wax into each compartment.  This simple concoction makes a perfect fire starter.  We have even started fires with soaking wet firewood with these things.

     You might not have a use for such a thing if you do not live in the country or with a pack of fire fanatics.  But if you like to camp or cook out over real wood they are the bees knees.  It gives you a use for lint and egg cartons.  I save up the butts of my candles so I very rarely have to buy wax.

     Some may say that the time it takes to make the things is wasteful.  A person can just run down to 7-11 and get one of those fire starter logs.  I made 24 of the things in less than 10 min. the other day and it cost me only pennies to make.  I think it is a good use of time. :)