So how can you stay cool when the weather is hot? That is the burning question (pardon the pun) in my un-airconditioned abode this week.
The basics are easy-we try to let the house cool down as much as possible at night and in the early morning by leaving all the windows open. Then just before the day starts to heat up, we close the windows and close as many of the curtains as possible to keep the warm air out and to keep the inside of the house shaded.
We drink lots of cold water and lemonade during the summer-not only does it cool us down but it also keeps us hydrated. I also like to keep seedless grapes in the freezer. They make a wonderful, frugal, healthy, cooling snack (cut them in half for smaller children to negate the choking hazard). Another great frozen treat is to take bananas, cut them in half, and stick a popsicle stick in the end and freeze on cookie sheets. Yummy homemade banana pops. If you want to you can roll them in sprinkles first to make it look a little less healthy! Of course there are always good old homemade popsicles. Amy D did a great article on various ways to make popsicles in “The Complete Tightwad Gazette”.
Wetting down your skin has marvelous cooling properties. We all instinctively know this-which is why the home wading pool is a cultural icon for summer! Buddy and Princess spend a fair amount of their outside time in the summer splashing around in the wading pool (with a beach umbrella positioned to provide some shade). When we are staying inside I have made use of the power of evaporation by putting a spraybottle of water into the fridge, and then sprayed us each down occasionally to cool off. If you haven’t planned ahead cool tap water, or even a wet down washcloth can work as well.
I’ve heard that placing a block of ice in front of a fan can act as a homemade “airconditioner”. I plan to try this out myself by freezing water in a couple of milk jugs, then putting them in front of my floor fan (in a basin of course to catch the condensation). It won’t cost anything to try, so why the heck not?
If all else fails, take the kids on a feild trip to the mall or grocery store to bask in the AC for a while. As long as you resist the temptation to buy anything, it will be a frugal way to stay cool!
Out west we can use evaporate coolers “swamp coolers” because the air is so dry, and they use very little electricity. Ceiling fans are great for when you are sitting still, they work by cooling the water in your skin.
Wet bandanas around the neck are a great way to stay cool.
Barbecuing is a must in the summer, heating up the house with the oven is just silly.
For a really frugal person look into solar ovens.
One really quick trick is to run really cold water over your wrists, right from the tap. I don’t why it cools you down–but it does!