I don’t know about where you live, but here in Arizona, we have been on a heat advisory for a week and a half. The temperatures have reached 115 degrees. It is hot.

We are looking for any and all ways to keep cool and while we do, I thought I would share with you ways to stay cool this summer!

1. Weather proof your house! If you didn’t do this in the winter, do it now! Make sure the windows and doors are sealed so that the hot air isn’t come in (and your cooled air isn’t going out!)
2. Keep doors and windows closed! If you have kids or pets, this one is important to watch out for. I can’t count how many times one of the kids didn’t close the door all the way and we find either the back door or the garage door open. Like my mom always said: we aren’t cooling the outside!
3. Keep off the lights! If you need a light, consider turning on a smaller lamp in your area instead of a light for the whole room. (It really does make a difference!)
4. Keep the curtains closed. Block out the sun rays. If it is within your budget, consider purchasing black out curtains for rooms where the sun shines the most, or purchase thicker curtains with a white backing to reflect the sun.
5. Get creative with your menu! We have been making slow cooker recipes or recipes that involve the stove top or toaster oven. In 114 degree heat, I’m not turning on the oven and heating my house anymore than it is!
6. Remember to change your air filters in the house! Keeping your vents clean and your filter changed will help ensure the efficiency of your air conditioner.
7. Fans, fans, and more fans! Fans are cheaper than my air conditioning running all day because it’s so hot. Not to mention, in the very heat of the day, my air conditioner has a hard time keeping our house at 78 and usually sits anywhere from 80-82 degrees. Fans help keep us cool which ever room we are in.
8. Use a
   ! I have to tell you, this is our new favorite household item is decently priced, in my opinion.

The
runs for approximately $199.95, which in my opinion is well worth it.

Our hottest months start in May/June and last until at least September. That is at least 4 months, so I’m talking $50 a month for one year of the evaporative cooler? With 2 years use? That’s only $25 a month. 3 years use? $16.66 a month. I am sure you get the picture.

And that is just using it during the hottest months of the year! My air conditioning (and my wallet) are definitely thankful.

The NewAir AF-1000R Portable Evaporative Cooler (which comes in red, white, or black) is considered a

compact evaporative cooler

by NewAir that

uses only the natural cooling power of evaporation to cool rooms up to 300 square feet. This earth friendly cooling method does not require any harmful chemicals or refrigerants to operate.

.

One of the handy things is that the NewAir AF-1000R Portable Evaporative Cooler has wheels allowing for portability.

During the late afternoons/evenings (the hottest part of an Arizona day), we use the evaporative cooler in the living room.

At night, since we live in a split floor plan house (the air conditioner is on the opposite side of the house from our bedroom), we use it in our room to help keep us cool.

It is light weight and easy to move from room to room without any issue.

The NewAir AF-1000R Portable Evaporative Cooler is super easy to put together and use, and has a digital, easy to read display.

The evaporative cooler only requires water and electricity. It comes with an air filter that you place in the system, add the water, plug it in – tada!

It holds up to 5.3 gallons of water for cooling, or you can use it without water as just a fan. I have to say, I love that it can be used as a fan if there is no water, because we have forgotten to set the timer and let it run all night to wake up to find it empty of water – but not a ruined cooler!

Added bonus? An ice tank for extra cooling!

The front of the cooler has a water level indicator so you can see when it needs more water. I am not 100% sure, but I am fairly certain that we have filled it every 2 nights or so.

The NewAir AF-1000R Portable Evaporative Cooler can run on cool or just a fan; it has a timer that can be set from one half an hour to 10 hours (when you set the timer, it will turn itself off after the set amount of time, or you can just let it run constantly); it can be set on oscillate; and like any other fan, it has 3 speeds.

The first few nights, we would set the timer for 3 hours, on level 1 cool and were fine, but as it has gotten hotter, we have used level 2 cool, oscillate and let it run all night. I can’t tell you how much better I am sleeping when I am not waking up in the middle of the night dying of heat!

As you can tell, I am a big fan of the
. It has made a difference in our summer already and it’s just getting started!

Be sure to check out
and you can follow them on
!