Quickly approaching is the time of the year that everyone loves and secretly hates as well: Summer. Most of the struggle during summer is trying to stay cool while not breaking the bank. Here are five quick ways to stay cool during the summer, while saving money.

1. Utilize ceiling fans

Ceiling fans are a great way to get the cool air moving around in your house by creating a draft, thus making the room feel cooler, without actually changing the temperature. Depending on the climate you live in, you can use a ceiling fan in addition to an air conditioner or just use the fan by itself. If used with an air conditioner, you can raise your thermostat about four degrees without feeling the effects. Using a ceiling fan in summer can reduce one room's cooling cost by about 8 percent. However, the effects of reduced cooling costs are negated by keeping a fan on all the time, only use ceiling fans when you're actually in the room.

2. Operating the thermostat efficiently

Set your thermostat between 75-78 degrees while you're home and 85 degrees when you're away. Oddly enough, a higher interior temperature will slow the flow of heat into your house, saving energy on air conditioning.

3. Open windows

A lot of places get colder at night, why not use that to your advantage? Turn off your cooling system and open the windows at night to let in the cooler air. In the morning, close them and draw the shades to keep the cool air trapped inside.

4. Energy-efficient lighting

If you haven't already, switch the light bulbs in your house to more energy-efficient ones. According to the EPA, fluorescent light bulbs produces 75 percent less heat than incandescent ones, while producing the same amount of light at a lower wattage. And turning the lights off when you leave the room helps too!

5. Leave the house

Try and spend as much time as you can not in your house because the less amount of time you're there, the less money you have to spend cooling it. Plus, think of all the awesome adventures that await outside your front door!

By reducing the cost of cooling your house, you're also reducing the amount of energy it takes too, which not only helps you but the environment as well! Everyone wins! So stay cool and have fun this summer!