I don’t know about your area, but here in the South, it’s been pretty much blazing hot for several weeks. I’m okay with sweating a little, but when temperatures hit the mid-90s, I feel okay about turning on the air conditioner. The problem is that every time I hear the unit kick on and feel the breeze blowing out of the vents, I’m glad for the cool relief, but also increasingly worried about what my power bill will look like this month. Since I’m not exactly rolling in money, this is a concern.

But we don’t have to rely on air conditioners alone to keep us cool, not even when outside temperatures are approaching three digits. Here are five ways to keep yourself cool without the use of electricity, making your power bill cheaper and your house a little greener.

1. Ice, ice, baby. Drinking a tall glass of ice water goes a long way toward keeping you cool. If you have a reusable water bottle (and you should!), you can also fill it with ice water, heavy on the ice, and keep it against your skin. It’s especially effective on pulse points, such as your neck, the backs of your knees, and on the bottoms of your feet.

2. Skip the oven. Summertime cooking should involve the stove, the outdoor grill, or a slow cooker. Using the oven is a great way to keep your house warm in the winter, but in the summer, you don’t need its help keeping things warm. Look for light recipes that don’t involve the oven.

3. Seal the deal. Are there cracks around your windows and doors that let your precious cool air out? Invest in new weatherstripping to seal the gaps, or if you want to be all MacGyver about it, use duct tape. You can actually save quite a bit on your power bill by doing this.

4. Make like a cow and graze. You know that bloaty feeling you get right after you eat a big meal? If you want to say cool in the summer, skip the heavy eating. Eat several small meals throughout the day, which is healthier for your system anyway. Nobody likes the food sweats.

5. Dress the part. People living in tropical climates wear loose cotton or linen clothing to keep themselves cool. You can follow suit by staying away from thick or clingy material.

Aside from that, there’s always popsicles, dips in the pool, frozen smoothies, and using shades and blinds to keep direct sunlight out of your home. No one’s going to blame you for turning on the A/C when it’s sweltering outside, but think of it this way: Keep the temperature a little warmer than you’d like, then use these tips to make up the difference. You’ll be so cool, you won’t know what to do with yourself — and your next power bill will look pretty good, too.