I love to see a real fire,
but if you have to buy logs it is expensive form of heating, coal is very dear as well, I always used to use coal to get a good base then burnt logs all day and put coal on to keep the fire in over night. Ive done my fair share of collecting logs chain sawing then splitting with an axe , I now just press the central heating dial and have a flame effect gas fir to look at
, its much cleaner too . sheila