A few summers ago, after our big Elm tree was taken down, we immediately noticed a difference in the temperature inside the house.  Without the shade of that big old tree, it was a scorcher!

We have large windows facing south, so the summer sun affects the comfort of three of our most used rooms.  I have blinds in one room, so we can avert the sun’s rays there, but in the other two rooms, I have curtains.  The windows are three large panes across and it is not only hard to find a single shade that wide, but it is also extremely expensive!

I checked into shades that would fit each panel, which are easier to find, but still very expensive.

So, online fabric store to the rescue!

With the help of my daughter, I found thermal shade material and a coupon for free shipping!  I spent $15.00!!

I got enough material to cover each pane of the windows.  All I had to do was cut the material to fit.  No hemming required, because the backing on the material is kind of rubbery.  Then, I sewed some metal washers onto the top edge of each panel and pounded a couple nails for each panel, into the window frame.  Voila!

I used metal washers simply because I had a lot of them, they would work, and I didn’t have to spend money getting something else!

Checking on the price of a variety of thermal shades, I found the average price to be around $50.00 per panel. (Yikes!)  For six panes, that would be $300.00.  I spent $15.00!

BENEFITS:

• Saving money on cooling bills
• Making living spaces more comfortable
• Spending as little as possible to get the job done

MONEY SAVED: $285.00!!

🙂