We’re welcoming a new contributor, Sasha of www.hypnobird.com, to the site!  Check here in the future for tips / hints / advice on living life on a budget!  I’m looking forward to it and hope you’ll enjoy it as well!

Yay and Welcome, Sasha!

  When you think of summer what comes to mind? Lemonade? Watermelon? Picnics? Swimming pools? Icy frozen treats straight out of the freezer? Maybe running through a sprinkler in the wet grass? All things that will help cool you down. Face it. Summer is hot! Its part of what we love about summer and most of what we hate.

  While I don’t know of any specific scientific data, it seems to me that being cool becomes more and more important as we get older. Do we just feel the heat more? Perhaps it is the lack of a three month summer vacation that makes us more aware of just how hot it is. Or the fact that most adult small talk centers on the weather. One of an increasing shrinking number of ‘safe’ topics to discuss with strangers at the bus stop, it is nonetheless a constant reminder of just how hot (or cold, rainy, windy or snowy) it is. I don’t believe I ever once went up to a fellow third grader on the playground and inquired “So Stan. Is it hot enough for ya?” And I’m equally sure I never heard anyone else on the playground ask that question.

As staying cool becomes more and more of a priority, no matter what the reason, we are now faced with a new delima. Keeping cool on the cheap. While most of us just use some form of electric air conditioning, there are many more things we can do to both decrease our energy cost and increase our lost pleasure of summer months.

One of the easiest ways to stay cool while conserving our own electric bill is to stay out of the house as much as possible. Go suck up someone else’s air conditioning.  A long long time ago I saw an episode of “Married with children” where the Bundy’s a/c is broken. So Al, in all his cheapness, moves his family into the local supermarket and sets up house. While I don’t suggest you go to that extreme, it is still the basic idea. Get out and stay out as long as you can.

  So, if you aren’t staying at home, and want to stay cool where can you go, without paying for it? I start (and usually end) at the local library. It’s cool. It’s free. And more and more local libraries are offering more then just books. There are children’s story hours, book club meetings, how to classes, other community group and club meetings. My local library, which is fairly big, has a auditorium and frequently shows/hosts movies for free to the public. And there really isn’t anything wrong with just sitting in a comfy chair and reading for a few hours at the library. As long as you aren’t starting arguments or talking loudly they don’t kick you out. The library is a huge source for all sots of entertainment. If you aren’t a big reader, they usually have books on tape and cd, music cd’s of all kinds and video and dvds’ of all sorts to loan out. TV’s shows, movies, documentaries and how-to’s on just about everything can be found at your local library. If they don’t have exactly what you are looking for, ask the librarian. Chances are, they can get it.

  Another place to try might be museums. Not all museums are stuffy old buildings with little ventilation and pictures that make no sense to you. Look around for all sorts of different museums and then see if they have any type of lecture series going on, or demonstrations, or activities. Many do at low or no cost. If you have kids then children’s (obviously), natural history, and science museums will be your best bets. Remember to either pack a lunch, or eat before you go and take drinks with you.  Maybe pack some snacks in the car for the drive home so you wont be tempted to stop off for fast food.

  Another well air conditioned place that you can spend large chunks of time (and cash, so be careful with this one) is the mall. The bigger the mall the more stores to look in and more time you can quite effortlessly kill. If you enjoy window shopping or people watching this is a great escape for you. Just remember to leave your cash, checkbook and credit and debit cards at home. Bring your own drink, or at most, just enough cash to get a few drinks. And many malls have more then just stores these days. I’ve seen quite a few community performances at malls, fashion shows, Christmas plays and music recitals. No, they aren’t Victoria’s Secret or The Rolling Stones, but they are nice and your presence does support local community activities. Its free and its cool, that’s usually enough for me. Check around your local area malls, you may be surprised at what else they offer besides just shopping fun.

  Not just cool, but dark as well, Try the local $1 theater. I’m not sure how common they are, but I thought they were getting to be more and more so. Second run theaters have a so-so selection, but you cant beat their price. Just skip the refreshment counter!! If treats are required you can stop on the way home (or before you get there) for a small treat, maybe a soft serve from the local dairy place. But movies do not just have to be for an evening out. And the hottest part of the day is usually when their prices are cheapest.

  Another out-of-the-house cool things to do I like is to ride the bus or light rail to the end of the route and back. Its nice to sit and not worry about traffic, gas, insurance prices, accidents and repairs. And its air conditioned. I enjoy the movement, the mostly gentle rocking of the light rail train. Listening to the people around me that get on and get off. And then I ride it back. I buy a monthly pass, but a day pass is still cheaper then the price of gas for just a day riding around aimlessly.

  If staying indoors when its sunny out isn’t your tall cool glass of iced-tea there are many outdoors way to enjoy the summer and save some money at the same time.  Obviously outdoor picnics and bbq’s in your own backyard, as well as at a local park, are a good option. And that will also keep the heat of cooking out of the house, keeping it a bit cooler in there. And there really is no rule about how often you can cookout.  Invite along some friends and family and celebrate the summer.

  In my area there is a free family friendly movie that plays at a different local park every Friday at dusk, through most of the summer. There are also many free outdoor concerts and a few free festivals as well. Yes, I do live in a fairly large city now, with many options. But I also remember free summer park concerts when I was younger and living in West Virginia, in a much smaller city. Well, okay. What I really remember is falling asleep on the blanket in the shade while listening to the bands. Its definetly worth looking into. Librarians are a great source (yet again!) for finding these sorts of community activities. Or at least that has been my experience.

  Don’t overlook the neighborhood community pool or recreation center. If wet is your thing in the summer there are lots of water options that don’t require summer pass prices. Public pools were fun and all my friends were there when I was in grade school. I haven’t been to one since then, but I do know they are still around. I burn easy so I don’t go swimming often. If public is not something you’re willing to wear a bathing suit in front of, turn on the sprinklers and fill up the inflatable or plastic baby pool.  Even a tub full of cold water can you cool you off when its too hot outside. I personally like the sprinklers. You can run through and then sit in the shade drying/cooling off for awhile, reading a book maybe, and then go through again as you heat up. I know this may be scary, but really, we all need to get over ourselves. It’s too hot to care what the neighbors think of our unshaven legs hanging off the side of a baby pool.

  Let’s not forget the best part of summer: icy cold treats in the hot sun. These need not be expensive store bought processed sugary popsicles. You can pretty much freeze any juice or pureed fruits to make your own. And if you don’t have popsicle molds, Dixie cups and wooden craft sticks work just fine. You just unpeel the paper cup as you eat. There are probably thousands of recipes for just about any kind of homemade popsicle you would want to make. So if you can read this, you can access them online through Google or some other search engine. I keep a variety of frozen fruits in my fridge for smoothies. Mostly just pureed frozen fruits (bananas are smooth and creamy like ice cream, as are mangoes) and some milk and/or water, to the consistency I enjoy. I also like frozen grapes and cherries just as they are to use as a snack. Frozen coffee cubes can help you make a nice iced coffee drink without watering it down, the same with iced tea cubes. You could put the iced tea cubes in lemonade for a little tea flavor or reverse that for a little lemon in your tea. If you puree frozen berries (I did strawberries) in a food processor until they are grainy and add some fresh squeezed lemon and honey or liquid sweetener, and then water, it’s a nice change from regular lemonade.  And very impressive.  Its important to stay hydrated in the summer, so don’t forget to keep lots of water around. If you like it cold, but cant get an ice cube into the small opening, fill the bottle 1/3 or so with water and freeze it over night. Fill the rest of it just before needing to leave the house.

  Around the house I don’t use a/c. This will be the fourth summer that I haven’t used it. To survive I practice many of these little tips. I’m pretty poor, so if its cool + cheap then I probably know about it and have tried it. Not everything listed will work for everyone. Hopefully you will find something that works for you. Even little things can add up to big savings. The biggest things I do are spend a lot of time at the library and ride the light rail a lot to escape the heat. At home I eat cold a lot. Cereal, salads and sandwiches. If I cook I try to use the oven at night and cook in big batches things that I can eat cold later. If you have a microwave, try to use that more often, and also slow cookers, they use less energy and give off less heat into an already hot area. Also, run the dishwasher at night as well, it gives off heat too.
 
  At night I spray my feet and toes with my spray bottle and sleep so that they are getting a constant breeze from the fan. My spray bottle gets quite a workout in the summer months. Sometimes I sit out on the fire escape reading and spraying down my toes, looking up at the birds in the sky periodically. The best part of summer is the feel of cool wet toes in a nice breeze. I urge you try just that one thing. Sit outside in the early evening shade, spray down your bare feet and just feel how it feels to lay there with cooling toes, seeing the birds overhead or stars that may be out early.

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  Additional tips for a/c use….
    —- Set the temp at 78F (or as high as possible. Be careful if you medical conditions) When you are leaving for the day, turn the temp up another 5 degrees
    —-Change or clean the filters monthly during the cooling season. Remove dust and grass clippings from the outside condenser.
    —-Use the fan setting as much as possible
    —-Keep unwanted excess heat out of the house. Keep doors and windows closed with blinds or drapes drawn to block out the sun.
    —-If its mild at night, turn off the a/c and use fans and open windows to cool things off.
    —- When a hot day is expected, turn the a/c on earlier, rather then after the building has had a chance to heat up any.
    —-If you are in a very dry climate, you might want to consider getting an evaporative cooler, or ‘swamp cooler’. They cost less to operate, but only work if you live in a dry climate. ( I do, and it’s the only reason I’ve even heard of them)

  I’m writing this by candle light. The electric went out. Again. For the third time tonight and the second incident in a month. I have candles, but just small little votives, and only three of them. I am, of course, unprepared for this basic need. Light.

Right now I think the Boy Scouts’ motto of “Always Be Prepared” is the most brilliant thing ever. But I wasn’t a boy scout. And so I’m unprepared tonight to keep myself from running into and over everything in a dark apartment. At least I have a lighter to light the candles. I keep one for lighting my incense, which I really need to do more often. As an ex-smoker I no longer know where my several different lighters are at all times. I just have two, and one I don’t know where it is. This one I was lucky enough to have found and been using to light incense recently to show off my new incense burners.  Last time the electric went out, due to a transformer down the block blowing up, I learned the importance of keeping that lighter where I knew where to find it. Usually our blackouts don’t last that long, but we do have the.
So why am I, and we as a society, so unprepared for such basic needs? I wonder if the number of people that have extra batteries and/or adapters for their cell phones and notebooks would greatly outweigh the number of people that have candles and matches and flashlights with back up batteries. My guess is, it would. The basic disaster relief recommendation is three days worth of food and supplies. I know I don’t have that. Well, I might, but not the water or candles or matches. I have a lighter. It might not make it three days.
What constitutes a ‘basic need’ when we are talking about being prepared? Food and water, shelter,  heat, and light. Those are some basics we need to be able to know where to obtain in an emergency and preferable before we have that emergency.  The first is food. I know missing a few days’ worth of meals wont hurt me. But we’re American’s , we gotta eat!! So some extra canned food can come in handy. And don’t for get to add a can opener and some utensils.  Storage is something to keep in mind when stocking up for an emergency. Depending on the type of ‘disaster’, our needs will be different. Obviously extra ice cream will do us no good after the first night of no electricity in the middle of summer. Not that there would be any left after the first night. Canned and dried foods are the way to go. You might also want to keep some in your trunk, along with a can opener and some utensils. And bottled water. Probably at the top of everyone’s list is bottled water. And lots of it. Buy the case just in case. Now I have quite a few bottles of water in my fridge. They are recycled bottles though, not sealed up, so I don’t know if that would make a difference or not. Probably it would, but I really just don’t know.  If you live in California and are earthquake prone you would also want to keep some extra dishes of the unbreakable variety, assuming that all your dishes will be broken in the earthquake. Also you will probably want a few weeks wroth of food and water. (maybe I’ve heard too many horror stories about earthquakes) Most of us won’t need that much, but best to “be prepared”
When I was little we lived in Iowa. That’s just above Kansas, as I was aware of every year when “The Wizard of Oz” was on tv. I remember very vividly many, many times being rushed to the basement (as if I needed prompting at all) with the battery powered transistor radio.  I believe we even had a mattress down there. That was how we prepared. I was too young to know the difference between preparing for an event and the actual event. I just knew that basement with a radio or the bathtub with a mattress. I even had fantasies of making friends with the tornado, inviting it in to play, as if it were another child, and then it wouldn’t hurt us. (Please. I was five.)
 
Battery powered items and extra batteries should probably be on everyone’s list. At least one flashlight, a radio and extra batteries for them., because it will work fine until you need it. So best to “be prepared”. Here is something I didn’t think about until it happened to me, the phone.  Without electricity, cordless phones, uncharged, wont work. Make sure you know how yours is powered. Just in case. These days having an extra battery for your cell phone may be all you need.  While the radio used to be the all important item, you may be able to get news updates on your phone. I still don’t have one, though I am considering one.
 
Most of the people I know that do have them have about midrange services and accessories. A few are just plain phones. All could probably receive text message updates at the least. Should those be needed. Or we could just make the information getting simple and just have an old fashioned battery powered radio. Which I have. But guess who is battery-less when its needed? Just guess. So radio and flashlight with appropriate batteries and back up batteries are a must. In my unprepared glory I have neither. I do have a nifty pen that has a light in it.
    *If you live in Tornado Alley a mattress against the wall of the bathroom is also acceptable, especially if you are me.

 
Taking these extra preparedness items with you on a road trip could save your life. Perhaps that’s the one disaster we are all prone to, no matter what part of the country we live in. Just remember what can, and has, happened to people that have gotten lost and were unprepared for a sudden storm. The movie “Cujo” might be a bit graphic, but I think it is an excellent example of how the unexpected can take over on the most ordinary of trips. Being prepared for as much as you can, can go a long way to make your life less stressful when a disaster happens. Even if its just having candles and matches when the lights go out.
 
One of my candles is almost completely gone, the other two won’t last long beyond that and the wind is starting to whip them around again. So, to recap, I am completely unprepared for the basic needs that arise when a simple late summer storm wrecks a little havoc on my neighborhood. When it comes to living more simply, being prepared is an excellent place to start. It can help keep your stress level down in a time of crisis, or even just aggravation at trying to write by candle light.

There’s snow on the mountain tops where I live already. Its getting too cold to wear sandals and I need a sweater. The dark will soon do me in. Its winter and these are all normal things, and for me and many people like me, so is the depression that will set in soon. The winter blues.

Everyone gets down sometimes. And these tips can be useful to everyone. Whether they are just down or flat out depressed. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder; the winter blues) is characterized by excessive sleeping or eating with weight gain for the last two seasons. It effects up to 5% of the population. Somewhere between 60% and 90% of those with SAD are women. The cause of SAD is still unknown, but seems to be the lack of light. In many northern countries where they do not get sunlight for months on end the suicide rate is the highest in the world. While winter depression is the most common form of SAD there seems to be a summer depression as well, occurring during the summer months and trigger by the intense light and/or heat.  We’ll get to summer SAD next may. ****If your symptoms are excessive or severe please see a doctor right away. These are just suggestions and tips but DO NOT replace good medical care and treatment by a professional.****

So what can we do about this? Depending on the severity of your depression there are many things that can be done, and most at low or no cost.
The first is getting more light. Get as much natural light as you can during the day, every day. Take every opportunity that comes your way to be in the daylight. Have your eyes open and face the light, even through a window. Don’t stare at the sun, that’s not helpful. But do face the light as often as you can. I cannot stress that enough. If its possible go out into the sunlight, get some fresh air and go for a walk. But at least get some sunlight, even from inside, every single day.
Some people still do not get enough and require light therapy. If extra sunlight is not enough for you DONOT hesitate to see a doctor about light therapy or even medication. Winter depression can be very mild or very, very severe. It should always be taken seriously.

Next is sleep. Its very important to keep to a good sleep pattern for so many reasons, but if you are suffering any kind of depression this becomes even more important. For myself it may well be a matter of life and death, I am so sensitive to both daylight and sleep. I have to regulate my exposure to both. Both too little and too much are bad for me. This may also be the case for you.

Vitamin D. Strong sunlight on your skin triggers the production of vitamin D. Depending on where you live, you aren’t going to get enough, even if you do spend enough time in the sun. The rays are just not strong enough at this time of year to trigger your body to produce it. Getting extra D isn’t such a bad idea. An extra glass of milk or two probably won’t hurt. Alternative milks are also fortified with D, not just cows milk. I like almond milk myself. I don’t know how much extra would be optimal for you. That’s something for you to discuss with your doctor. From WebMD:

Vitamin D supplementation, shown in recent studies to help lower risk of certain cancers, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and other conditions, may also relieve depression, according to new research.

Canadian researchers say the benefit of supplementation may come in creating stores of this vital vitamin in the bloodstream to carry people through the dreary months of winter, when a lack of sunlight may lead to or worsen mood disorders—most notably seasonal affective disorder, the aptly acronymed SAD that affects some 11 million Americans.

Exercise is always mentioned in relation to helping treat just about everything. And depression is no different. Exercise outside in the sunlight if at all possible, and if not, then do so in front of a window. Face the light if you can. I realize that some people are too shy to exercise in front of an open window. I am one of them. I’m trying to get over that. But for me, this is just not realistic at the moment. If its not for you, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just accept that this is where you are right now, the exercise is still good and worth it, and try to get your extra sunlight at other times. Walking is an excellent form of exercise and is easy enough for almost everyone. Even if you just go out to the side walk, turn left (or right) and walk five minutes, then turn around and walk five minutes back. That’s a start. And its something you can do today. 

Fresh air. My apartments always get so stuffy and stale smelling. Not so bad since I quit smoking, but still stale. Some fresh air is always nice. When its too cold to open a window a short walk outside will sometimes do me. And of course I live across from two bakeries and a bagel shop. Not so helpful, those. But the fresh air is always nice.

For me, music is a great stimulant. Its third on my list of things I need to be healthy everyday. Sleep, light, and sound. I don’t like the tv, so music feels that stimulation gap nicely for me. I don’t know that this will work for you. For you the tv may be what you need to help you out. However, I find that external stimulation is a big thing for me. Light and sound.

I read a tip somewhere in the depression articles that it may be helpful to put your bedroom lights, if you can, on a timer set to go on half an hour before the alarm in order to help stimulate your body to wake up. I’m seriously considering trying this. And also, switching to the brighter “full spectrum” bulbs. I have some of those. I don’t know if they help or not, but the light is different and a bit better than regular bulbs. Its worth a try, and they aren’t too much more than the regular bulbs.

Proper nutrition is also a must-have for everyone. But when you are sick, its even more important. And one of the most important things you can do to prevent other illnesses. If cooking isn’t your thing, try a crock pot. They are pretty much a dump-cook-eat process. If its time, try cooking ahead when you have the time and freezing for when you don’t have the time. You might even want to trade with a single friend, or couple even, so you aren’t eating the same things so often. Cooking in bulk, like buying in bulk, is more effective. But who wants to eat chili for dinner four days a week for three weeks? Trade off with friends. You cook a big batch of something and they do too, then share it out.

How do you know if any of these things help? Try keeping a feelings diary. Each day record what you did, how long you did it, and how you felt before during and after. After a few weeks you should have an idea what works for you. And what doesn’t as well.

Remember, every little bit you can do helps you. Do what you can, and don’t beat yourself up for what you can’t do right now. You’ll get there. Life is not an all or nothing, win or lose game. Don’t try and play it like it is. Hopefully at least one of these will be helpful to you. And if it turns out none are, well, knowing that is also helpful. You can never have too much information about yourself.

Some useful links:

What is light therapy?

Vitamin D benifits

More on depression

Eight years ago I moved to Salt Lake with very little. My son, my computer and my car. The rest of what I had fit in my car. Clothing. Nothing else. That was it. Six months later we still hadn’t accumulated much more. So it was a devastating loss when the car broke down that last time. With no money to fix it I had to let it go. My only option was public transportation.

1700 miles from family and friends, only six months in my new chosen home I had to learn the ropes of a new system in a new town all on my own. Eight years later I still have no car, but I am a pro at getting around town. And I’ve seen a lot.

The price had gone up as all things do. But surprise, surprise, it will be going down for a change. The ‘fuel surcharge’ will be revoked. Well, if, big IF, gas prices stay low through the month. Cross your fingers for us. We are at $2.25 a ride. I really didn’t think they’d lower the cost even though gas went down and technically they didn’t.  They are just dropping the ‘fuel surcharges’ and then in April will raise the fare to compensate for the 7% decrease in budget due to the economy. Still. We will come out a quarter lower than we are at now. And I still have better service here than I had in Des Moines or Northern Kentucky.

Riding the bus has its ups and downs. Most rides are uneventful. You get on. Say hi to the driver. Sit there. Maybe read your book or the paper. Maybe daydream. I stare out the window. Pull the bell. Say thank you as you exit. Everything goes as expected.

Other times it’s not so easy or pleasant. Sometimes the bus smells like pee. It’s just a fact of life. I’m not too good to ride a bus that smells like pee. It’s not pleasant but we do what gotta do. I doubt that the individual that peed in that seat or smelled of pee chooses to be that way. I can’t tell you why he or she does that but I’m sure there is a heart breaking reason behind it I can’t begin to know. I can cut them some slack. And count my blessings.

Unlike the lady (or man) with three times too much perfume (or cologne) sitting two seats ahead of me. Well I take that back. I’m sure they have their their issues too that drive their excessive use of toiletries. Maybe they are trying to cover cover up the pee smell they imagine will jump on them while they ride the bus. Or, more likely, they played ‘ink a bink a bottle of ink’ too many times when they were a child and now believe they stink, not because they are dirty, not because they are clean. So they cover it up. Please.  It’s a child’s a rhyme. Get over it. And lay off the smellgoods

When you’re not overtaken with smells there’s sometimes plenty to listen to when you don’t want to. Some people just want to be heard by everyone. Usually younger people. The two teenage boys for instance. They could not help but talk about about sex with their girlfriends. The one went on and on about sex with his girlfriend. How she could not get enough because of how big his … um …. Member was. And how he could get her to do anything he wanted because he was so big. Gotta love teenage boys, right? There were just a few of us in the rear of the bus. But one older gentleman felt the need to chime in. In all seriousness he says “Enjoy it while you can boys, it shrinks when you get older. Mine is the size of my pinky finger now.” I wanted to turn around and see if they were as pale as their silence indicated as this man went on and on about his urologist and how it started to shrink in his late thirties, but I was too busy trying not to laugh too loudly. A few stops later and he pulled the bell and was off.  To the urologist no doubt.

Then there was the guy, mid twenties I’d say, that “was late because I had to change pants because I shit myself”. Fortunately for him it looked like a mustard stain or so he said. He went on about it for twenty minutes. How proud he was. Fun times!

Cell phones are another story. I can only hear one side of the conversation. And because I can’t hear both sides doesn’t mean it is a private conversation. You are in public. Don’t want me and everyone else to know you lost your kids to CPS? Don’t talk about it on the bus where everyone of us can hear you.  It’s much easier to say “mom I’m on the bus I’ll call you back” than it is to expect the seventeen people in the rear of the bus to magically NOT hear you complain how unfair CPS is. Stating “do you mind, its private will not, in reality, make any phone call on the bus a private one.

The funniest thing I have ever seen, and surely some of you won’t find it funny, may even be offended, was the drunken masturbator. We were riding along. I believe it was a Sunday like today. Going to Kmart. I forget now what I was in search of. Getting on you could tell he was drunk. The smell was unmistakable. Harmless enough though. Probably riding the bus to get out of the cold, I thought. This was in the late fall, early winter (do I have a good memory or what? For some things anyway). So we’re riding along. He doesn’t whip it out so much as he undoes his pants a little bit and sticks his hand down there and starts going at it. They are bagging pants but you can still see the party going on.

The bus driver is shocked. Completely. Stops the bus. Demands he stops. He looks at the driver but doesn’t stop. The driver is unsure what to do. Tells him to stop again or he’ll call the police. This time he stops. The bus driver tells him to get off the bus. He begs to stay on. Driver says no way. Off he goes of the cops come. Out out out. So off the guy goes with some very loud very very vulgar obscenities. The driver calls it all in to central control and we fill out incident cards and we are on our way to Kmart once more. All in all a very interesting ride.

So you see, riding the bus can be very entertaining. And leave you with some excellent stories to tell your friends. But mostly riding the bus is uneventful and goes just as planned. No big deal except to save you gas money and the aggravation of commuting, gridlock and road rage.