hands off the thermostat! Ten Alternatives to turning on the a/c

After a cold, wet Spring in my part of the country, we are now finally having summer. The warm weather is a welcome change, but all too soon, we start getting uncomfortably hot and wanting to turn on the a/c to cool down. I'm not someone who NEVER uses a/c (I'm glad it's there when I need it), but I think it can be too easy to turn on the a/c before trying a few other things. So here is my list of ten things to do when you'd like to turn on the a/c.

1. Accept that it's summer, and that in the summer, you can expect to feel hot some of the time.

2. Dress for it- long rayon skirts with comfy, 100% cotton t-shirts are my go-to outfit for a hot day. Wearing something long can be better than short shorts because it keeps your legs from sticking to chairs, etc. Babies and toddlers can get away with running around in just underwear or a diaper in the house. Avoid thick fabrics and synthetic fabrics, which don't breathe as well.

3. Run a cool, wet washcloth over your face and across the back of your neck. It will cool you down for a few minutes.

4. Drink cool fluids. Water is very refreshing with a little lemon juice and some sweetener if you like. Popsicles are great for helping you stay cool, too. We love to make our own popsicles out of juice, homemade pudding, etc.

5. It's so easy to focus on keeping the house cool- instead remember you only have to keep people cool. Unless someone has to be up there in the middle of the day, the upstairs doesn't have to be cool. Hang out in cooler places, like the basement if you have one. If there's nothing to do down there, do some decluttering. If you have a baby who needs to nap, consider having them nap in the basement if the upstairs is too hot.

6. Let someone else pay for your a/c- if you have an errand to run or a place to go that will be air-conditioned, go there in the hottest part of the day. Libraries and stores are great for this (be careful not to offset your a/c cost savings with purchases, and it goes without saying that going to a full-price movie [not dollar theater] will cost more than running the a/c would have :) ).

7. Get wet- go swimming, run through a sprinkler, take a cool shower, or just get your shirt wet and put it back on. Washing the car with the kids is a great hot-weather activity.

8. Use fans effectively. Run your ceiling fan so air flows down (this is generally counterclockwise). Put a box fan in a window when air outside is cooler than air inside (for example to cool down the house in the evening). You can even run your HVAC system's fan without turning on the air conditioning. Doing this constantly will use a lot of energy, but running it for just ten minutes or so can bring some cool air into your upper floor(s).

9. Avoid cooking. Eat copious amounts of watermelon. If it gets cool in the evening, do some cooking then so you only have to warm food up at meal time. If you need to cook during the day, try to use a crockpot (you can even put it outside to avoid any heat generation).

10. Go outside (in the shade). For some reason higher temperatures seem much more tolerable outside than inside, and shade makes a huge difference!

There are my ten best tips to reduce use of air conditioning. I know it's unrealistic to expect that everyone can avoid using a/c all the time, but hopefully these tips can save you some money and help save the earth at the same time.