My Sultry Summer

For a woman who has never liked summer and spent each entire summer running from air conditioned home to air conditioned car to air conditioned job to air conditioned stores, this has been a summer of surprises.

The air conditioning in my car as well as my home stopped working in early June. To my own surprise, I chose not to have either one repaired - knowing that if I did, I would keep the air conditioning running all summer long, driving up my electric bill at a time when I need to conserve and keep expenses down. 

I tried this for one day, then one week and now it's been almost 3 months of living a new and different way during the hot and sultry summer months.

My Sultry Summer Survival tips

1.  slow down and take everything at a much slower pace
2.  wear very loose breathable all cotton or linen clothing
3.  take many warm showers -  the hot air feels cooler after a warm shower
4.  use fans generously with one or two fans in each room of the house  
5.  place fans on or very near the windows at night to blow in the cooler night air  - the house cools down a lot by morning
6.  do not run window fans on very hot days - this will only bring the hot air in but do use other fans inside each room
7. keep blinds or shades drawn during the day to keep out the hot sun
8. cook and clean only in the very early morning or very late night hours when it's much cooler 
9. reheat or microwave meals quickly during the day or just eat a lot of salads and other raw foods
10. keep the ice-cube trays filled and use ice liberally in water and other drinks
11. drink lots of water to replenish the water lost through perspiration

 The greatest benefit to living through the summer this way is the large savings in electric bills.  For me, though, learning that I can survive without air conditioning has been a lovely bonus.

Mary
Small Business Web Design and SEO
Affordable SEO Web Design Packages

**