# Is there any resource in my house that doesn't get wasted???? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 21, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-resource-in-my-house-that-doesnt-get-wasted/251530 "2004-06-21T23:39:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-resource-in-my-house-that-doesnt-get-wasted/251530/21 "2004-06-23T19:22:11Z")
I was never awful about leaving doors open and lights on, I don’t think – especially the door thing, since most of my childhood was spent in Texas. You can’t air condition the whole state no matter how hard you try! But what really cured me of leaving extra things on was paying my own power bill. My parents were vastly amused when, after I’d had my own place for awhile, I went to visit them, and was turning off lights and stuff left and right. (I still have to turn off their TVs fairly often. For some reason they’ll go off and leave TVs running all day sometimes if I don’t do something about it!) “Sounds like someone who is paying her own power bill,” I was told. Yep, sure was. But when I pay my own bills, I will also pay out the wazoo for air conditioning, because I like meat locker temps. You better believe I don’t have open doors and windows then, because I’ve spent enough on AC as it is! ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-resource-in-my-house-that-doesnt-get-wasted/251530/22 "2004-06-23T19:57:24Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > I have to disagree here. I’ve always found that right around the sell by date, the milk begins to get a little sour. Maybe the OP doesn’t notice the sourness at that point, but many folks do. > > It takes us about a week to go through a gallon, so I’m always careful to check the sell-by date when purchasing. I have to add to this one. My fiance will drink milk until it’s obviously turning sour. It doesn’t bother him at all. I am lactose intolerant. I’ve noticed that right around the sell by date, the reactions I have to the milk are stronger. Once the milk smells slightly off, I can’t drink it. Even if it tastes fine to me, I regret drinking it later. Also, I can smell differances in the milk that my fiance can’t. It might be a female thing. My mother and sisters can also tell the difference before their husbands can. ---
**Author:** ![NorwegianBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6bbea6/32.png) [@NorwegianBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NorwegianBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-resource-in-my-house-that-doesnt-get-wasted/251530/23 "2004-06-23T20:11:37Z")
> [@gatopescado](#): > > Around my house, the wife has it set up so the two fight each other! I came home one day, the cooler was raging, the sliding door was open and the heat was on. > > She is also world famous for the “Even dozen open bottles of Snapple around the house sitting on the edge” trick. > > Heres the produce lifecycle around my house: I buy it. It sits in the fridge for 3 weeks. I throw it away. > > Sigh. I feel your pain. As I read the “Produce Lifecycle” I was thinking of the Broccoli in my crisper that has actually gone past three weeks. I do actually have some minor breakthroughs though. On the unfinished beverage issue, my Wife is very considerate. she’s good for about three sips of beer, so instead of wasting 3 sips short of a bottle, she takes a sip ( or 3) of mine. > [@Zsofia](#): > > Uh… if the house was wide open with nobody home, wouldn’t you throw a shit-fit about security instead or (or with, I guess) the electricty? I mean, good lord, anybody could walk in. I’ve thrown that fit numerous times, nowadays my evening is one shit fit after another. I have to throw my shit fits in moderation. One might say I “pick my battles” but really, I am trying to avoid a continuous stream of shit fits where yelling is all I do in my spare time. I have other hobbies I actually enjoy. > [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > I feel for ya, man. Rotting food under the table…sheesh. Hey, wait a minute, I don’t believe I’ve mentioned the pumpkin story. Well, that was sort of on the table and below it at the same time. \*_ick_ ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-resource-in-my-house-that-doesnt-get-wasted/251530/24 "2004-06-24T02:11:41Z")
No more shit fits. Give each kid a week’s supply of Snapple when you shop. If the kid runs out, tough. (Of course, each kid had better keep it under lock and key!) They can always put it on ice if they want it cold. If a kid forgets to turn off the lights in her or his room and you find it truly abandoned that way, what this cherub is really expressing is a deep seated desire to do a spit and polish cleaning on that particular room. (You can always put a white glove over the light switch as a reminder.) This works well only if rooms are not shared. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-resource-in-my-house-that-doesnt-get-wasted/251530/25 "2004-06-24T02:15:35Z")
Another possibility is to remove their light bulbs for 24 hours. It’s a hassle for your for a while, but in the long run it will pay off. (I haven’t checked to see the ages of your children.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-resource-in-my-house-that-doesnt-get-wasted/251530.md?page=1)