For a great homemade firestarter, take a cardboard egg carton, collect a bunch of lint from the clothes dryer and/or pencil shavings from a sharpener, and melt some parrafin in a double boiler. Heap some of the lint/pencil shavings in each egg holder then pour parrafin over them. When cool, cut apart the carton and put in a baggie. They light easily and burn hot and long. Easy to get kindling going and build a good fire. Parrafin is cheap and the rest of the stuff is available for free.