How long could you last without A/C?

[eliza61]

My central air went down Thursday. Repair guy came out yesterday and said we need to replace the unit. Not a total surprise, the unit is 18 years old and the outside compressor had damaged to it. for them to repair it would run ~800 bucks and it doesn't make sense to sink that much money into an old unit that's pretty much at end of life.

Anyway, I've got guys coming over through the week for a new unit sales pitch. I thinking about blowing 200 on a room ac unit to tide us over. The forecast for the next 4 days is 95 degrees with a heat index of 100. My dh wisely said thats a waste of 200 bucks.

Of course the only thing that's floating around in my noggin is 4 days of sweltering heat. Besides I figure if I don't get the unit I would probably spend $200 bucks on eating out because no way, no how am I going near my stove.

How did I get so spoiled. I grew up in a nyc apartment back in the 60's without central air. LOL

So could you guys last?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Tell your dh it is cheaper than a hotel.

 

[danalee]

um no

the older I get the hotter I get...good luck

 

[JessicaR]

Not a chance I could survive it. Between hot flashes and hating the heat to begin with I would be miserable.

Get the unit - then list it on craigs list as new used once! You wont recoup all your $ but most!

 

[LisaInNc]

Indefinately.

There is no way I would spend $200 for a window unit for 4 days.

Air conditioning is a luxury not a necessity. I am in NC and we get hot....lived in a house without central air for over 10 years. (big ole Victorian) we used a window unit in the bedroom and one in the den the rest of the house was just hot.

You get used to it after a while.

I am like you grew up in RI and no one had it now....every house has to have it.

Lisa

 

[dabute]

I've only lived with central A/C for the last ten years, but I don't think I could last ten minutes without it now. And our dog is part pug and she over heats very easily, so we would have to buy the window unit for her health.

 

[Carly_Roach]

My central air went down Thursday. Repair guy came out yesterday and said we need to replace the unit. Not a total surprise, the unit is 18 years old and the outside compressor had damaged to it. for them to repair it would run ~800 bucks and it doesn't make sense to sink that much money into an old unit that's pretty much at end of life.

Anyway, I've got guys coming over through the week for a new unit sales pitch. I thinking about blowing 200 on a room ac unit to tide us over. The forecast for the next 4 days is 95 degrees with a heat index of 100. My dh wisely said thats a waste of 200 bucks.

Of course the only thing that's floating around in my noggin is 4 days of sweltering heat. Besides I figure if I don't get the unit I would probably spend $200 bucks on eating out because no way, no how am I going near my stove.

How did I get so spoiled. I grew up in a nyc apartment back in the 60's without central air. LOL

So could you guys last?

How long could I last without A/C? As long as I have to.

We've been without A/C for three or four weeks now with the temps being in the 80's with high humidity and I've already suffered a bit of heat exhaustion this past week when the A/C broke down at work. The heat doesn't seem to bother DH as much as it does me, but I fully support an agreement we made a few years ago: if we don't have the money to pay immediate cash for something, then we don't have the money and that's all there is to it. Learn to do without.

Fortunately, we've managed to save the money for repairs and the part is on order. We're expecting the unit to be repaired within the next few weeks, so we (I) just have to hold on a little bit longer.

So, to answer your question about how long could I last without A/C, the answer is simple: as long as I have to.

 

[SaraJayne]

Tell your dh it is cheaper than a hotel.

Exactly what I was thinking.

Tell DH he can either pony up the $200 for the window unit (which you can then re-sell) or you'll be moving to a hotel until it's fixed.

 

[disneyfans95]

Forever..

We can't stand A/C in our house. Much rather have the fans going.

Sure, if we lived in Flordia or Texas our approach would change.

But we are just outside of NYC and can deal with it. Never gets that bad.

 

[Mickey527]

I could live without AC forever. Well maybe when I am in a nursing home and can't tell them to shut it off, but for now I hate them.
I have ceiling fans to move the air and when it gets really hot I have an attic fan that I turn on at night to suck the cool air in (sometimes I have to shut it off because I get so cold)
My son's have AC in their bedrooms and I think they turn it up way too high and the shock of walking out into the rest of the house is worse than not having it at all.
I also have a pool so when I need to I can go jump in there.
I don't think it is worth the extra $200 or more to have the ac on during the summer.
I do use the AC in my car but the black interior is so uncomfortable. I shut it down or off once the car has cooled down.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

I'd get the window unit. Definitely.
We live in an area that hurricanes pretty routinely roll through. With the power outages that occur we use a generator to keep freezer,refrigerator, fan and something else running. We have a shop that is separate from our house that has a window unit in it that I can hook up on an extension cord and sit in bliss reading in that blessed cool air.

I have said it repeatedly that if I had been some of the original colonists I would have demanded to move after one summer in this humidity and heat!

My backup plan is to go to work and stay there!

 

[eliza61]

How long could I last without A/C? As long as I have to.

We've been without A/C for three or four weeks now with the temps being in the 80's with high humidity and I've already suffered a bit of heat exhaustion this past week when the A/C broke down at work. The heat doesn't seem to bother DH as much as it does me, but I fully support an agreement we made a few years ago: if we don't have the money to pay immediate cash for something, then we don't have the money and that's all there is to it. Learn to do without.


So, to answer your question about how long could I last without A/C, the answer is simple: as long as I have to.

Generally we are the same but we live in a 100 year old house so repairs tend to be costly, for example we needed to replace our roof last year. I wasn't going to wipe out my emergency cash for the replacement (16K) so we financed it. The unit replacement will cost around 6K which we do have the cash for but will still take a few weeks to have done.

Forever..

We can't stand A/C in our house. Much rather have the fans going.

Sure, if we lived in Flordia or Texas our approach would change.

But we are just outside of NYC and can deal with it. Never gets that bad.

God bless ya, born and raised in Manhattan and hated the hot summers.

I guess it's what you get used to.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am in St. Louis MO and people will die in their homes without AC. It is not a luxury but a necessity here.

Fortunately there are programs in place to help out people every year from AC unit donations to cooling shelters.

 

[VillageMama]

I couldn't live without AC for ten minutes. I am the biggest heat wimp. I seriously morph into a different... evil... person.

Believe me, I am envious of folks who can tolerate heat and humidity without becoming homicidal. I realize that AC is a new invention in the history of humanity. But I just don't know how anyone survived!

 

[MM27]

I would survive, but I would be miserable, cranky, and not pleasant to be around at all.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

I think I could survive exactly as long as it would take to get packed and go to a hotel, lol. I seriously think I could go without food a lot longer than no AC. I am one of the biggest heat wimps I know.

 

[Shanan]

I live in Texas and our went out on Tuesday night (after 8). On Tuesday had heat index of 105. It was already heating up in the house by 6 am. The repairman was there before noon & fixed. It was a capacitor which costs less then $300. Although DH and I are on the Dave Ramsey plan, I could not do without a/c for less then 1 day. We have learned a valuable lesson......putting more into emergency savings since being without a/c is definitely considered an emergency to us.

 

[kidshop]

I bought 2 window units once for a 2 week period. We had a home warranty so the repair didn't cost us, but we had to wait. I do live in FL and had a baby at the time. the units were only around $100 though, and I put them in the bedrooms only. It was worth every penny and I'd do it again! I later gave the units to a friend who could not afford to fix her a/c, so I feel good about that too! We have since gotten a whole new a/c system.

 

[HelenePA]

We went close to 3 years with no a/c in our current house. Now we have a window unit in our living room and in one of the bedrooms upstairs. Growing up I only had A/C in my bedroom which was on the top of 3 floors. I hardly used it though. I still dont have A/C in my bedroom.

 

[diznygirl]

Not long. I like the heat, but it's the humidity that kills you. It gets so stuffy, fans just move around hot air, there are no breezes so you can't just open a window. Taking a cold shower just makes you damp and warm. Pools get to bath water temps.

Here in Florida in the summer a/c is not a luxury, it's definitely a necessity.