50 Hour Power Outage Candles

There have been so many natural disasters recently that it has me thinking I should be better prepared. I need to pack a bug out bag but we've never done it.  I did make my own candles in case of a power outage.  They are supposed to burn for 50 hours though I haven't tried it.  I didn't come up with this idea on my own, I took it from Happy Money Saver a pretty nice blog I follow.  My batch made 12 candles.  Click on the ingredients to get a link to where I bought the items on Amazon

12 half pint jars (8 ounces) They are available at most stores. At Lowe's they cost $9.49
5 pounds of Natural Soy Wax $12.99 on Amazon
Wicks, they come in a bag of 50 for $8.99 on Amazon but you only need 12. If you would like to get some from me I will gladly share for 18 cents each.
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

1.  Glue a wick to the bottom of each jar.

2.  Melt the wax. You could use a double boiler but I just did it in 3 batches in my microwave using my Pyrex 8 cup measuring cup. Stir after each minute.

3. Carefully pour the wax into each jar to about 1/2 an inch from the top.  Be careful not to move the wick because the hot glue doesn't stick when the wax is fresh and hot.
4.  Let the jars cool just a bit so the wicks are stuck again.
5.  Put a piece of aluminum foil on each jar with a little hole in the center to keep the wick straight while the jars are cooling.

6.  Let the jars cool completely and then remove the aluminum foil
7.  Cut the wicks to about 1/2 and inch.  

So I made my own candles but is it worth it?

I could have bought "religious candles" at the Save A Lot store for $1.45 each. I don't know how long they burn but they are those tall skinny candles in a glass.
If I had to buy the jars my candles cost $2.62 each because I had to buy so many wicks.
If I could have had only 12 wicks for $.18 each my total would have been $2.05 each.
If I didn't need to buy jars and my wicks were $.18 each my total would have been $1.26 each.

However, it was fun to make my own candles.  Remember, if you would like wicks I have 38 more.