Frugal Friday: Staying cool without a air conditioner

We live in the northwest so some of these tips may not work for some states, but when we lived in MN even, it did not cool down very well at night and we had no fans even, (no electricity) so  some of these are for  you too! <p> Ideas to keep Cool<p>

1.  If it cools down at night open all your windows at night, put a fan or 2 in your open windows and blow the cooler air in, if you have 2 windows across from each other it is nice as  it can blow the cool air in and the hot air goes out somewhat the opposite window!
2. Put a damp towel over the fan when blowing it in the evening. Teh moistures helps to cool off the air, or so they say!
3. Stick your feet in a cool  kiddy pool or dishpan if you do not have a kiddy pool. Even in the hottest weather this feels refreshing
4. Drink lots of  liquids- homemade herbal ice tea is one of my favorite drinks when it is hot. See below for recipe.
5. If all else fails- go up a bit, sometimes if you are around any mountains,  it is cooler up  in the high elevations.
6. Go shopping or buy an ice cream cone  and take a really, really long time….. enjoy their air conditioning
7. Wear a sun hat or visor, it really helps to keep the sun off your face
8. Spend the day at the lake- I remember  in MN we spent alot of time just setting our feet in Lake superior. It was too cold to swim in even in the hottest weather, unless you were braver than me, but it sure felt good on my feet!
9. Don’t cook, dry clothes, or anything that will heat up your house hotter. I use the microwave alot more.  I hung  some clothes outside or  blankets to dry on the fence as i do not have a clothesline, but it really helps, so you do not get behind, but yet, have dry clothes and no money wasted!  The other night i made hash with leftover corned beef i had made in the crockpot the night before. I needed more cooked potatoes, so i baked them in the microwave and  the only heat I used was to fry the hash! Tonight we had taco salad with leftover chicken pieces in it and canned organic black beans.  It was very good!

So, the recipe to make my favorite summer herbal ice tea is really simple! You take a gallon jar and put a handful of raspberry leaves, a generous handful or mint leaves, 2-3 hibiscus flowers, about a tablespoon of lemon grass,  and  then cover in cold water. Let sit about  an hour or until it looks about the right strength.  (You can do it with boiling water and it is faster, but I like the cold water way and it works good). Strain and put in a pitcher. Sweenten to taste with whatever sweetener you prefer, Stevia, honey, sugar or  juice, it all works! Keep in the fridge and replace often!