I’m not sure how hot it is where you are, but here in central Iowa it is hot. I mean hot. So I thought I would share some of the ways that I try to stay cool, while keeping my money and my sanity.

  • I work out in the morning. Despite the fact that I am not a morning person (just ask my dog), I try to work out as early in the day as possible. Given how early the sun rises, I can start a run before 7am and be in full sunlight. I’ve also noticed that the rec center is less crowded early in the morning, which is an additional bonus.
  • I keep water and ice cream on hand. Because I lose so much water during the day when it’s hot (especially on days when I work out), I always keep water in the fridge. I have a couple of water bottles as well, so that if I’m going to be gone for any length of time I can stay hydrated without having to fork over two bucks for a bottle of water.  Plus you reduce waste when you use a “permanent” water bottle, instead of a “temporary” one. As for the ice cream, I like cold sweet treats and a half-gallon sets you back less than the smallest sized ice cream cone at a lot of places. Plus there’s the additional bonus of not having to go very far to get dessert.
  • I do air-conditioned trips during the early afternoon. I will often take trips to the library or grocery store during the hottest parts of the day to get a little respite from the heat. This works well so long as you don’t have too far to travel to get there.
  • I bring in cool air at night. Once the sun goes down and the outside air cools significantly, I like to open the windows and let a nice cool breeze through.  I also run the fans to circulate as much cool air as possible.

This is what I do to stay cool without spending too much extra money. Do you have any tips to add?