My Mom used to do the summer curtains and winter drapes too. I have blinds up in my house right now but am looking to replace the ones in the living room and dining room with shutters. My DD's dog has messed up the blinds in the living room when he was a puppy so we were waiting until the puppy stage was over to get something different. We have a transome window above one of our regular windows. We use a black sheet to cover during the summer months because it cuts down on the sun coming in which cuts down on the heat coming into the house. My bedroom has blinds which we are going to change to curtains when I find something that I like. My son has the blackout curtains in his room. They cut down on a lot of the light that comes into his room. He loves them. They cost me about $10 bucks. We will do the same in my dd's room when she moves back home because she works nights and sleeps during the day.

I don't have winter/summer drapes, but I do change them up on occasion.

I have fairly heavy drapes that I layer with sheers. Underneath that I have wooden blinds. My cats have destroyed plastic mini blinds in the past by going behind them and coming back out, bending them back and forth.

In the winter I tie back the drapes and open or raise the blinds to let sunlight in during daytime. If a person had drafts they could get those beanbag type doorstoppers to put in the windowsill.  At night they get untied and pulled closed.

In the summer they pretty much stay closed. If we want to see outside, we go out there. heh

In spring and autumn I take them down and open the windows on occasion, letting the breeze air out the house. I keep the drapes stored away until I'm ready to put them up again, and get them cleaned before I do.

 

This summer I plan to make window quilts for the 4 windows that are on the north/windy side of the house.  I will hang them under my current curtains in the winter to help with insulation.  My friend made some for all the windows on the north side of her home and cut her heating bill by over $20 a month!  I have to try this for the coming winter.

 I'm getting ready to buy some of those Eclipse curtains at Walmart and drape them during the day, then let them down at night for privacy at our picture window

I have one set of Eclipse curtains in the kitchen at a large window. I have a white sheer underneath them. I have found they will keep both the cold air out in the winter as well as the heat out in the summer.

I have found my energy saving curtains have really blocked out cold air and kept my living room warmer. They have been a good investment here.I think spring and summer are good times to look for discounted/sales on energy saving curtains so you can buy cheaper before fall/winter cold weathers hit again.

Strangely, you know what I've found that's inexpensive, insulates the windows, AND keeps the neighbors from seeing in my windows?

Bubble wrap. No, really. BUBBLE WRAP.

I just take a spray bottle filled with water, mist the windows, and apply the bubble wrap (bubble side against the glass) to the windows. It stays the whole season long, and if it happens to start falling off, I just mist the window again and smooth it back.

It's not pretty or fancy, but it's functional.