Maybe you have air conditioning, but maybe not. Keeping cool in summer is an art form, and there are so many little hacks using items you either have on hand or that are cheap to buy.
I’ve compiled all my favorite tricks and hacks to avoid overheating, and they’re so easy you’re going to be in heaven. A very cool, refreshing heaven.
Here are some tips to save on summer items and food:
- Use Dollar Tree coupons when you shop! Many items qualify for manufacturer coupons, and you can save at least 50%. Sometimes you can get items for free.
- Download Ibotta to get cash back on select items.
- Download the Krazy Coupon Lady app to get access to all the hottest deals!
1. Stay cool in summer by keeping lotion and creams in the fridge.
Watch for deals on these at the dollar store, but also keep your eye on drugstores like CVS and Walgreens, because these are known to offer such good deals you can get lotion especially, for free.
Sign up for drugstore rewards programs, and then combine a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon and a sale. Learn how to coupon at Walgreens or learn how to coupon at CVS.
Or just go straight to the lotion coupons!
2. Make sure ceiling fans are rotating in a counterclockwise direction.
A fan blowing counterclockwise will create a cool, downward airflow. In winter when it’s cold out and you want to keep the warm air coming, set it to turn clockwise. This way, the warm air that rises to your ceiling can circulate back down.
Need a ceiling fan that changes direction? Amazon has some good options. Otherwise, watch for a sale at Home Depot or Lowe’s (we’ll let ya know).
3. Cool drinks fast by wrapping a wet paper towel around a drink and putting it in the freezer.
Chances are good that you already know to put your drinks in the freezer to cool them down fast. But wrapping a wet paper towel around them will speed up the process. You should have a cold beverage within about 10 minutes this way.
Just don’t forget your drink in the freezer! Been there one too many times. Such a mess!
Get soda deals and paper towel coupons to bring this hack into reality.
4. Eat spicy food to increase perspiration, which also helps you cool down.
Scientists call this gustatory facial sweating, because the perspiration often starts in your face. Once the moisture has evaporated off your skin, you’re left feeling cooler.
5. Apply deodorant on your feet to prevent blisters and smelly, sweaty feet.
Now, if you want to level up and keep your feet from sweating in the first place, try applying antiperspirant to your dry feet at bedtime.
And hey, did you know deodorant is one of the things you can always get for free with coupons? It’s true! Combine deodorant coupons with store rewards at CVS or Walgreens and you’ll walk out with freebies.
6. Make ice cream sandwiches the easy way.
Maybe you’re not a spicy-food eater, but I bet you’re an ice cream eater! And who doesn’t love some Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry’s between cookies? All you need are large cookies, along with ice cream in the round one-pint container to make these splurgy treats.
Don’t forget your ice cream coupons! This ice cream ain’t cheap!
7. Make quick ice by filling a water bottle halfway and laying it on its side.
Voila! Instant ice water (basically).
8. Make your A/C air smell fresh with a few drops of essential oil on your air filter.
Other ideas: clip a car air freshener to your air vents to circulate some fresh air, or put a dryer sheet over your vent.
9. No A/C? Set up a fan next to a bowl of ice so it blows air directly over it.
Even a mini box fan works. Really, anything to get that air flowing so it can flow over the ice and keep you cool in summer.
10. Freeze bed sheets and pillowcases to stay cool in summer.
In order for folded sheets to get chilled all the way through, put them in the freezer for at least eight hours. Of course, slip them inside a Ziploc bag so they don’t get food or other freezer yuckies on them. Pull sheets out of the freezer right before bed and sleep comfortably.
Here are a few other surprising things you should put in your freezer. (Including jeans! Not only will your jeans be cool to the touch, but the low temperature in your freezer will also kill any odors or bacteria.)
11. Make a cooling body mist with green tea.
Brew 1 – 2 bags of green tea in cold water for a couple of hours. Pour the tea into a spray bottle and keep refrigerated when not in use.
And definitely don’t pay full price for green tea! Use tea coupons during sales at stores like Kroger. (Learn how to coupon at Kroger while you’re at it!)
12. Freeze aloe vera gel in ice cube trays for extra cooling when you’re sunburned.
Freeze the tray for a couple of hours, or until they’re frozen solid, and then remove them and put them into a Ziploc bag until you need one.
Rub the cube directly on your skin to cool down a sunburn (or to treat minor burns too!).
13. Insert a plastic spoon into yogurt cups and freeze for easy yogurt pops.
This works with containers of yogurt, but an even easier way to do this is with single-serve yogurt like GoGurt. Just put those in the freezer and you’re done.
If you have yogurt containers on hand already, just cut a slit in the top of the foil and insert a plastic spoon. Then put the yogurt in the freezer overnight, and you’ll have a cool (and healthy!) treat the next day.
Get yogurt coupons so you can save money the next time you need to buy it!
14. Freeze coffee in ice cube trays for iced coffee that doesn’t get watered down.
Try this trick and you can drink your iced coffee slowly, knowing it’ll only get more caffeinated the longer it sits.
Get coffee coupons so you don’t break the bank making your cold brew.
15. Make a rice cooling pack and put it between your bedsheets to stay cool while sleeping.
16. Remind yourself to drink more water by using a permanent marker on a jug or container.
In order to keep yourself on track with water goals every day, use a permanent marker to measure out how much water you need to drink at what time of the day. One side is for morning and the other is for evening.