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.
Refrigerated lotions, creams, and aloe vera gels will keep you cool in summer —especially lotion on your feet!
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.
Did you know that the direction your fan blows can influence your room temperature?
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.
Ever wonder why the spiciest foods come from some of the hottest countries and regions of the world? It’s because eating spicy foods can cool you down. But you gotta sweat! I mean it, in order for this trick to work and keep you cool in summer, you have to eat spicy enough food to make you sweat. It’s the sweating that cools you down, which isn’t a surprise.
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.
All this talk about sweating requires some tips to avoid the stink. Did you know that a little bit of deodorant on the feet goes a long way to keep your feet from smelling bad?
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.
Forget easy, this is the yummy 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.
You can absolutely fill the entire water bottle with water and then freeze it (leave room for the water to expand!). But if you’re in a hurry, fill the water bottle just a bit, then lay it on its side in the freezer. Once it’s frozen solid, fill the rest of it up with water.
Voila! Instant ice water (basically).
8. Make your A/C air smell fresh with a few drops of essential oil on your air filter.
Not that smelling nice actually makes you feel cool in summer, but it doesn’t hurt either. Especially if you use a minty scent.
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.
Who says you can’t create your own air conditioning? A box fan works best for this trick, but any fan would work as long as it’s not oscillating. Also, a less melty option is to put water bottles in the freezer overnight and set them up in front of the fan.
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.
You’ve heard of putting your blankets into the dryer to warm them up on cold nights, but have you heard of this? It’s the opposite and works wonders when you want to be under the covers, but you don’t want to be hot.
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.
Believe it or not, green tea causes the body to sweat, which in turn helps lower your body temperature.
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.
Squeeze aloe vera gel into an ice cube tray until it’s filled. Silicone trays work best for this, so the cubes are easier to remove, but a hard plastic tray works, too.
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.
Looking for a sweet treat that’ll cool you off and also not be as full of sugar as a popsicle or ice cream? This is it.
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.
Hot coffee won’t keep you cool in summer, and when it comes to iced coffee your options are either to slurp it down as fast as possible before it gets watery, or drink it watery. No more.
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.
It’s a reverse heating pack. Get a nice, long sock and fill it with rice. Put it in the freezer for a few hours (all day is ideal), and then it’ll be nice and cold at bedtime. You’ll always have a cool spot to move your overheated self into while you’re trying to sleep.
16. Remind yourself to drink more water by using a permanent marker on a jug or container.
When it’s hot out, you’re going to sweat. You already know what this means: you need to be drinking water. Probably more than you feel like drinking.
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.
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