Any tips for a terrible terrible heat wave? I don't have air co. I have a shitty fan that helps,but still. It's sooooo hot. I'm dying.
Running your AC during the summer will end up costing you a fraction of a price that running your heating does in the winter. A fraction! I run the AC 24/7 and do not see that much of a difference during the summer months. I also am on a budget program with my electric company, which means that I pay a flat fee every month. At the end of the year, sometimes I owe them $200, sometimes they owe me money. Two years ago I got three months of electricity for free because I overpaid. Last year I owed them $250 because I said fuck it I’m freezing and turned the heat up in the winter. Worth it, in my opinion.
If you’re not on a budget program with your electric company, call them ASAP and see what options are available. Ask them for any energy saving tips or programs that can help you cut down your electricity cost. AC is worth it.
Invest in good quality fans. This is a good fan and it’s $18 on Amazon. Buy two fans if you can!
Make yourself frozen treats. Fill ice cube trays with juice or buy a popsicle mold and enjoy inexpensive treats all summer long. Inexpensive in the sense that once you buy the tray or mold, all you have to do is spend $2 on juice or fruit.
Stay hydrated! Hydration is not just water. Hydration can be any diarrhetic drink! Iced tea, seltzer, water with fruit in it, etc. I personally hate the taste of water or plain seltzer, so I buy lemons and squeeze lemon wedges into my drinks to incentivize myself to drink more. You can buy zero calorie flavoring online to spice up water!
Make sure any pets you have are never out of water! A friend of mine puts ice cubes in her cats water throughout the day for her cat to gnaw on and to cool the water down.
Similarly, if your pets are home by themselves, ensure that they have access to a cool space. I leave my AC on low all day for my cats, because they hang out upstairs in one room, and I sectioned off the space so that’s the only area getting the AC.
Try cool showers. Look, I myself personally love hot showers. But hot showers in the middle of summer SUCK. Start lowering your temperature until you get a temp that’s just slightly warm. Cool showers are so refreshing.
If you can afford it, buy yourself a cooling blanket for the night time.
Keep cooking to a minimum during the late afternoon hours (the hottest part of the day is generally around 3pm where I live, so I try not to be slaving over a hot stove then).
If you’re home alone, lower the blinds and wear less clothes. Wear more breathable clothes.
Make yourself a hand fan.
Lowering the blinds in rooms with lots of sun can drastically lower the temperature as well.
Most AC units have some sort of energy saver mode or low power mode.
Heat rises, so if you have multiple stories, spend time downstairs.
Freeze wet hand towels in your freezer and use them as ice packs on unbearable days.
Speaking of unbearable days, if it’s just too hot and you’re stuck at home, go out and find a place with AC and wifi. A library, a mall, even a cafe. Get out of your home and spend a tiny bit of money to ensure that you’re not actively dying.
My final tip is one that several people I know do to stay cool during the summer. I don’t personally feel that I live in a safe enough neighborhood to actively do this, so I haven’t actually tried it. Do it at your own risk! At night, open all of your windows and leave them open overnight. In the morning, close all the windows right after you wake up. This should keep your home cool for several hours without needing AC or fans!
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