I use egg cartons, newspaper/packing paper, and paraffin wax to make homemade starter cubes. It's cheap as dirt since the only thing you have to buy is the wax which is very inexpensive, and extremely effective.

You basically just wad up the paper into the egg carton cups and pour enough wax to hold it together (althernatively you can dip the wadded up paper in the wax then stick it in the cups before it solidifies). Cut a carton cup out of the carton, place it under the chimney, light it, and let it g.