Chewing Sticks/Flavored Toothpicks (181/365)

I love chewing on toothpicks.  :)  For the past few years (I think about 5 years now), I've been buying the Thursday Plantation and Tea Tree Therapy brand chewing sticks from my local market (Whole Foods and Sprouts).  But it gets pretty costly, at $4.00 per pack of 100 toothpicks... and I go through a pack a month or so.

I also got tired of the same Cinnamon and Tea Tree Oil flavored ones.

And while these toothpicks are of great quality, it just didn't have as satisfying a feel as I would have liked.

So then I started making my own.  :)

Yeah, this picture still has only Tea Tree Oil and Cinnamon Oil, but not shown are the peppermint, orange, lemon, clove, and anise oils that reside in my kitchen.  :)  That solves the flavor problem.  But what about the unsatisfying feeling of the original toothpicks?

:D  Cut down bamboo skewers were the solution!  Because the skewers are thicker than the toothpicks, I end up soaking the skewers for longer than I would the toothpicks.

That also solves my spending problem.  Kinda.  hahaha  It's not a huge savings, but I am happy that I get to mix and match my flavors and that the skewers are more satisfying than the skinny toothpicks.  :)

Cheers!