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)