We live in the South, so the temperature down here has been steady around 102 or 103, 115ish with heat index. We like our house to be cool at night, or else we can’t sleep (even with a fan). So, while we’re gone from about 7:30AM to 5:30PM, we keep the thermostat around 75. Overnight, it’s on 69 or 70.

I’m sure to turn off all lights when we leave for the day, so that’s not it. We’re going to invest in some weather stripping for the doors, though I don’t think that’s going to cut it. So, onto my question…

What are the best type of blinds that I can buy (Wal-Mart, K-Mart, or Target is preferred) that doesn’t cost a fortune that will block out the most heat?

Right now we have the run-of-the-mill blinds that basically block nothing, even though we have dark brown shades that are always covering the windows. Our house isn’t very big at all and the bill normally runs about $180 during an expensive month. We have no clue what’s going on….