Pillar candles can be expensive for holiday arrangements or weddings. I discovered a cheaper way to make one. Dollar Tree has battery operated candles that are 3 inches in diameter by approximately 4 inches tall for $1.00 each. Buy two candles and stack them turning the bottom one upside down and the top one wick end up. Attach a piece of coordinating ribbon where the two candles meet taping or gluing the connection and making sure you do not attach too tight as you will need to lift the top candle out in order to turn on the switch under it. You can reverse the candles when the battery is used up in the top one. Add greenery or other decorations as desired. This is safe and reasonably priced!
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Thrift Shops can be a good source for candles! I am burning up my stock over the holidays and snagged some decorative ones in my thrift shop wanderings, good ones, too.
Birthday cake candles don't usually burn long enough to melt the candle, especially kids cakes. I reused them by cutting the black part of the wick off, cleaning the cake off the candle, storing them, and there you go!
I love to burn candles every evening but they have been getting so expensive I needed to find a way to make them burn longer. I bought one of those 3 wick candles, that they have at the Dollar Store. I would only light one of the wicks instead of all 3.
I buy Chanukah candles at a reduced price after the holiday and use them year-round for birthday candles. They look so much cooler than regular candles - especially if you can find the multi-colored ones.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Tips for saving money on candles. Post your ideas below!
I love candles and I am always getting candles for gifts. Sometimes the candles come in very nice looking glass designer jars. When you cannot burn anymore of the candle simple put the jar in the freezer and let freeze in a few hours and your candle should just pop out. Then you can reuse the jar or container for new candles. I make my own so I never have to buy any jars or containers to put new candle wax in. I just reuse the ones I get as gifts.
P.S. If you put your candle in the freezer before burning it will last longer too.
Susanna
Soy candles burn almost twice as long as parafin wax candles. Also, they don't have the carcinogens as regular candles, and helps out the farmers to boot! I only use the soy because you get more burn time for your buck, and the rest is just "gravy"! :)
*my first tip! there will be more!*
If you have a large diameter (more than 2 inches) candle that you really want to keep but want to light too, use a 1 1/2" spade bit and drill out the top 1/2 inch till a night-light (tea light) candle fits in it. You can replace those much cheaper, and you keep your best big candle and in near-perfect condition!
With the little tea lights that come in little metal containers, they'll last longer if you first remove the candle from its dish and press the bottom of the dish down so it's concave. The metal they're made of is very thin so this is easy to do.
I love candles but they are so expensive and they seem to burn too quickly . Here is a tip I found that keep the candles burning longer. I put all the candles I buy in the freezer and they last a lot longer when I burn them.
By Renee Bowman
Put a taper candle that you have cut to the heighth of your candle holder, in the center of holder. Put chipped wax that is leftover from candles you have burned. Enjoy!
You can make your candles burn slower and last longer on your dinner table if you put them in the freezer the day before you intend to use them.
By joesgirl
Like many other women, I love candles! They can be expensive, but I still pay a little more for mine. I have found that in the long run, it's more economical because the cheap ones do not burn as long, they smoke more, and they do not burn evenly.
By Robin
I strongly urge you to forget buying any candle that is NOT a soy wax candle. They produce particulates and release toxins into the air you breathe. Soy wax candles not only are clean burning, but brighter burning PLUS support AMERICAN FARMERS! The soy comes right from the good old USA!
I totally agree about saving money on candles. I so love to get my money's worth. And I do believe that even though you may spend a little bit more, when you buy quality candles it is worth it in the long run. Check out this website for the BEST candles ever! They are better than YANKEE candles and are less expensive. Here it is: www.mygccandle.com/
You must make sure you burn the candles a minimum amount of time. One hour for every inch in diameter is good.
This way you will get the most use out of your candle. I checked the following website earlier for candles. They are wonderful, but the website is down so I'd contact email if interested. I've personally used these candles and you will not be disappointed! ( www.mygccandle.com/scentthisway) email: byhisgraceandpower@yahoo.com
Happy Holidays!
4jstolove
I too like saving money on candles so I don't BURN mine. Rather, I use my glass jars ones on a candle warmer and I get the benefit of the fragrance without the smoke. I have had a candle warmer going 24-7 except when we were out of town on a trip and I have yet to use up a whole candle! I just swap with another one when I want a different fragrance.
You can get the candle warmers at Wal-Mart, Michaels, etc. Inexpensive and you save lots on candles!
Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for a minimum of three hours prior to burning.
By Bobbie Gillette
WOW...I NEVER KNEW THERE COULD BE SO MANY WAYS TO SAVE ON CANDLES...AND BOY, DO I LOVE CANDLES...THANKS TO ALL FOR THE GREAT TIPS
After I have burned my favorite candles down to nearly nothing I use the leftover wax in a metal dish on the vent of my cooking stove. Everytime I use my oven I have the wonderful scent of my favorite candle.
Put a new candle in the freezer for an hour before burning, it'll make it burn slower and last longer.
I love scented candles, but some name brands are very expensive. Has anyone used less expensive candles with good results? Also, I love your site, and I would like to thank everyone who replied to my previous requests on other topics! The information I received has been very helpful. If there are any candle lovers out there, I would welcome their replies.
I have bought very inexpensive candles that smelled as nice and burned just as well as the expensive type from Wal-Mart and the Dollar General Store. They have larger candles for less than $5.
Yes I have bought candles at the different dollar stores and they are really nice...Today I bought some at Dollars and Deals for $1.50 and they are about 5 inches tall..Also Family dollar has some too...I am burning a Rose one and it smells so gooooood......
I too love scented candles. So I have started to make my own. I save the wax when burned down, and reheat several leftover pieces over low heat in a saucepan, and pour back into the original glass. I always get a nice scent. Forgot you can buy the wicks at craft stores very reasonable. Just wrap around a pencil, and let the wick hang down into the glass. I have not purchased candles in some time.
Just be careful when buying cheap candles. I have a cousin who bought one in a glass jar, it was "made in china" and when it got hot it exploded and caught her drapes on fire. Please be wary of certain "cheap" candles - it can cost more in the long run.
Hi,
I sell candles that are a little more expensive. However, if you take into effect, that they burn cooler and evenly from top to bottom, you realize that the burn time is likely longer than compared to a cheaper candle. You could also sign up to get them wholesale and then they are are cheaper for you to burn. To join the Candle of the Month Club gives you a 16 oz. jar candle, 12 votives and a bar of soy soap for $39.95 plus S&H and taxes. You could then sell the votives and get your candle free. This also lets you then buy your candles at wholesale. The candles also are made of natural products so there is no paraffin wax in them. If you are thinking of your health and the toxins from candles that burn black, these are a healthy alternative. After burning these, I would never go back to the cheaper candles.
Mary Bachert
http://www.niftysoyscents.com
I don't know if you have a KOHL'S in your area; however, I have bought several of the candles they sell in the jars. They burn great and smell SOOO good; you can smell it throughout the house. They usually are on sale and are a good value.
Try using a candle warmer instead of burning them. The warmer makes the candle last for a very long time. I have had the same candle warming for over 6 months. Granted I don't turn it on every day but it has been on quite frequently and is still going strong.
Try thrift stores - especially around the holidays - for scented candles. Some folks just aren't candle people and are always getting rid of these unwanted gifts, and most thrift stores sell them for cheap-cheap-cheap!
I used to test them out before buying them by lighting them right there in the store, but that was before I accidentally burned down the Goodwill and they banned me for eight weeks. Well, it wasn't so much that I was banned, but the store wasn't open while they rebuilt.
No, I'm joking, of course.
Seriously, though, especially up to the holidays and after them, you're going to find a lot of candles - and some really nice ones - in your local thrift stores!
Try the candles at www.cedarcreekcandles.net. They are very affordable and their fragrance are awesome. Check out their site.
The very best candles that I have ever purchase are from Salt City Candles. They are not cheap by any means but they are wonderful.
Check out these photos.
Some candles I have made; purple with dewberry scent, purple striped; musk scented, blue/beige seaside with shells ocean breeze scented.
It can be easy to have more candles than you can properly display or use. This is a page about storing candles.
Don't throw out the stumps of your candles, use them in tea light holders. This is a page about using candle stumps in tea-light holders.
