Stay Cool During the Holiday Weekend

4th of July is a time for watermelon, water balloons, fireworks, bonfires, hot dogs, and dog walks. No matter what your plans are this holiday weekend, whether going out of town or entertaining at home, here are some simple ideas to stay cool and save money.

• Keep doors and windows closed. If you have your air conditioner running full blast (which it might be since it is going to be in the 90s in Southeastern Michigan), you want to keep the cool air inside and the hot air outside. This may be difficult to accomplish if you have many friends and family, so perhaps try to dissuade people from going inside or put a sign on the doors reminding people to close them.
• Jump in the pool. If you have a pool in your backyard or one that you can use, now is the time to make use of it! Stop worrying about your hair and start to appreciate the cannonball splashes. Fresh water will feel great on a 90-degree day with the sun beating down on you. Also, while drying off, the evaporating water will cool you down.
• Ice, ice, ice. This is self-explanatory, but cooling your drink with ice will help to make you feel cool while you drink it. Also, popsicles and ice cream are always good, tasty, cold treats for anyone and everyone.
• Barbecue! Barbequing is a staple on the 4th of July! This can help keep your home cool by keeping the warm cooking air outside the house. (Just hope that you aren’t the one standing there and flipping burgers)
• Go down below. If the heat becomes unbearable, hang out in the basement! That is most likely the coolest area of your house (besides the freezer), and you can hang out in cool air without turning down the temperature on your thermostat too far.

If you are leaving your house for the weekend, turn the thermostat up–so your air conditioner is not wasting money and energy by cooling an empty house all weekend. Good luck staying cool, and have a great weekend!

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