Staying Cool on a Budget

With the insane heat wave that has been afflicting the Midwest for the past couple of months - and has gotten especially bad this week - I think it's an appropriate time to discuss how to stay cool without paying a terribly high electric bill.

1. Close Your Blinds: Nothing heats up a room like direct sunlight, and although this is great in the winter, it's not so great when it's already a 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Now, I love sunlight - probably more than most people - so I'm loathe to give it up when I'm at home. But there's certainly no harm in closing the blinds when I leave for work, and it does help keep the house cool.
2. Open your Windows at Night, Close them When You get Up: It usually cools down enough to have the windows open at high, especially if you have a fan in your bedroom, and letting fresh air circulate through your apartment is critical for removing stuffiness. But don't forget to close the windows when you get up - or at least when you leave for work - to keep the humidity out.
3. Get a Fan: I LOVE my fan. I take it with me throughout my apartment, and have designated spots to set it so that it hits me when I'm sleeping, using my desk, on my couch, or working in the kitchen. A fan can do wonders for the heat, and uses way less electricity than A/C. The catch is - don't forget to turn the fan off when you're not actually using it. Also, avoid having a different fan in each room - you're better off simply moving one fan around, so that you're not tempted to leave all the fans on in all the rooms, wasting more money than the A/C would.
4. Avoid the Oven: Ovens do a great job of heating up an apartment! Again, this is nice in the winter...but not so nice in the summer. If possible, try to plan quick stove-top meals, or use a crock-pot for longer cook times. Better yet, make cold food, like fancy salads, or grill outside (if your apartment offers community grills).
5. Run the A/C for an Hour or Two in the Morning: Believe it or not, if you turn your A/C on for about an hour, it does a fantastic job of getting rid of the humidity and cooling the house down. On especially hot weekend days, I'll turn it on around 10 or 10:30 and turn it off when I have lunch - and then the apartment stays reasonably cool for the rest of the day, especially if I use a fan. Keep in mind that this is only effective if the windows are closed.
6. If It's THAT Hot, Use the A/C All Day: Once the house reaches 1000 degrees, it's going to be very hard to cool it down, and the A/C will have to work extremely hard. If you know it's going to be hotter than you can handle, you're best off turning the A/C on it's lowest setting before you leave for work. This is actually more economical than turning it on when you get home and making it run hard all evening. NOTE: This only works if you A/C is temperature-driven, where it keeps the house at a specific temp. If your A/C unit just blows air at you when it's on, you might as well turn it on when you get home - it won't make a difference financially. 
7. Turn Off A/C At Night: If you've followed my advice so far, you're opening windows at night. And if you open windows, DON'T FORGET TO TURN OFF YOUR A/C.
8. Go Swimming A Lot: This has nothing to do with saving money, but it's certainly nice! I've been in water nearly every weekend so far this summer, and it is saving me from dying from heatstroke (for readers in the south - I'm a northerner, born and bred. If it hits 90, I'm not happy).

Good luck!