How To Beat The Heat On The Cheap

Ugh! It is so hot here right now. Well maybe not RIGHT now, since it's about 9:30pm, but during the day.  We are having a late Summer here in SoCal.  I predict it will be hot until the end of Oct, early Nov.  Late Summers suck.  They kind of mess with your head.  You expect it to be cooler and it just doesn't happen.


Unfortunately, the air conditioner in our house is too small to cool down the entire house, so when the air is on, it is working so hard that it sucks up the electricity and since the power companies here like to rape their customers, yes I just wrote that, it's the truth, the bill can run up to or beyond $300, a month.  The $300, is if you're lucky.  Anyway, needless to say, we do not run our air conditioner.  Some days it can get above 90 degrees in the house.  Insane, I know!


Here are some things we do to keep cool and just some tips that may work for you.


Keep the doors and windows closed during the day.  Make sure your home is well insulated and you don't have a draft.  Also, let as little light into your home.  This one is hard for me, because I love natural light, but leaving too many curtains open lets in heat.


If you can, open your house up at night.  If you have a two story home, open the windows upstairs.  This allows the heat to escape through the windows and the cool air from the night in.


If you have a house fan, turn it on at night.  That also lets the cool night air in.  The important thing you want to do is cool your house down as much as possible at night.  The cooler your house is the longer it will take to heat up during the day.


Buy a small room air conditioner and put it in your bedroom.  It is much cheaper to cool one room that it is to cool an entire house.  We do this and on very hot nights my son camps out in our room.


Other ways to keep cool is to wear cool loose fitting clothing. 


Carry around a spray bottle with water in it.


Take a cool bath or shower.


Make friends with someone who has a pool.


Try to use your oven and stove as little as possible.  The grill and the crock pot are good friends of mine.


Eat lots of popsicles and frozen treats.


And the most important tip I have is to make sure you, your kids, and even your pets drink lots of water.  Ice water especially helps with keeping your body temperature cool.  


Stay cool my friends!