Dear Readers: Here are some simple ways to save big bucks on your electric bill this summer. If you're looking for ways to keep cool during hot weather without running your air conditioner nonstop, consider some of these helpful hints:
Drink a lot of water. It will keep you cool and hydrated. Keep in mind that caffeine and alcohol have the opposite effect.
Dress for the heat, both indoors and out. That means loose-fitting clothing made of cotton and other breathable fabrics. At night, use lightweight cotton sheets.
Create more indoor shade with curtains, window blinds and solar window screens.
Keep the air moving when you're home. You can create nice cross breezes with ceiling fans and rotating fans. It can make the house feel almost 10 degrees cooler.
Minimize heat buildup from appliances by limiting use of the clothes dryer, dishwasher and oven. Instead, air-dry dishes, drip-dry clothes and consider cooking food outside on the barbecue. —Heloise
Dear Heloise: When the toilet tissue gets down near the end (maybe 15 to 20 squares left), I change to a new roll and put the other roll in a handy spot on my bathroom sink near where I stand each morning and put on my makeup.
When I need to blot my lipstick, wipe off a makeup smear, smooth my eyebrows or any such activity, I just tear off one square of toilet tissue, blot and go. Hey, it works for me. —Jeanne B. in Yorba Linda, Calif.
Love this hint, and I do the same. A roll of toilet tissue lasts a long time, and you can flush it, while facial tissue should not be flushed, especially if you have a septic system. —Heloise
Dear Heloise: I buy the large, economy-size boxes of large kitchen trash bags. When the box is empty, I use it to store plastic grocery bags. I also keep one in my shed to hold small rags. I simply cut the holes a little larger. I even covered the one in my kitchen with pretty wrapping paper and hung it in my kitchen cabinet. —J.L., Sebastian, Fla.
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. © King Features Syndicate Inc.