It's Hot Outside!!! What to do to stay cool?

Hi all!

I know, it has been nearly a week since my last posting. This was the students last full week of school and it was a busy one. We had awards days nearly every day for the different grade levels...all grade levels had their field days...and on Friday there was an all day "fun day" where I assisted with the all day sock hop. I assisted with nearly every event...mostly the field days and fun day sock hop. Needless to say, I was exhausted each day when I arrived home with no energy to blog. :-) I should be set from here on out as the students have one and half days of school left for the school year. On Monday I will give out Art awards for fourth and fifth grade...and other than closing out my room, cleaning up, and attending workshops and meetings...I will be done for the school year and home for summer! Yay!!!! :-)

Okay, what you really came to read about:
It's HOT Outside! I would dare say miserable! It hit 100 degrees yesterday and it is expected to hit 103 degrees or higher today and tomorrow. Combined with NC humidity...yikes...stay indoors!

So what am I doing to make sure we survive these days by staying cool without suffering (with any luck) a very high electric bill?
First of all: We will be keeping the blinds closed (mid-day) and the curtains drawn. We will also be running all the ceiling fans in all the rooms that have them. The thermostat downstairs is set for 78 degrees and the upstairs is set for 80 degrees. It is comfortable and not hot...so I am pleased. The truth will be in the electric bill if this is enough effort for this hot streak.
I know I am seeking out ways to reduce the bill further and I found a few things for our home:
We need a front door storm door. (This will help the little corners or tiny holes around the front door that allow air conditioning to escape and heat to get in.)
We also need one new blind in one room upstairs...I saw how the light was easily flowing through that blind that we hadn't gotten around to changing.
I am also feeling like I need some thicker curtains in a couple of the bedrooms upstairs.
The great news is that all the efforts we put into our house last year is showing this year. Last month's bill was $88.00! Man, I was excited about that. That is the first time since being in this house we got our bill that low!!! Our efforts are paying off and we can see that. What did we do? Well, added two ceiling fans, better blinds in some rooms, and thick curtains in two of the three rooms downstairs. What a difference.

Have a nice weekend! Stay Cool!!!!! :-)

What are you doing to beat the heat and your cooling bill?