# What does your household consume \*less\* of than usual? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-household-consume-less-of-than-usual/999935 "2024-04-06T14:10:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2024, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-household-consume-less-of-than-usual/999935/61 "2024-04-09T12:09:12Z")
> [@Orville\_mogul](#): > > My girls are 14 and 11 years old and neither has even tasted a cola My daughter was breastfed. She weaned from breast to a tippy cup with water. She tasted my soda, but never liked it. My son, a few years later, was breastfed. He apparently weaned from breast to Mountain Dew. When we get together it’s hard to believe they are related sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-household-consume-less-of-than-usual/999935/62 "2024-04-09T13:21:47Z")
I’m well aware. It goes beyond that (makeup removal I think is a major contributor). ---
**Author:** ![slowpony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@slowpony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowpony)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-household-consume-less-of-than-usual/999935/63 "2024-04-15T23:49:14Z")
Cleaning supplies ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-household-consume-less-of-than-usual/999935/64 "2024-04-16T13:01:50Z")
> [@epbrown](#): > > Electricity. I found out ComEd doesn’t send you a bill if it’s less than $20/mo - they let the balance build up then send you one. My apartment ran a refrigerator, wi-fi router and a few light bulbs. Our combined gas and electric company sends out a regular sheet comparing us to other households in our state, and to “our efficient neighbors”. For years, we have been beating our efficient neighbors hollow. It helps that we’ve added insulation, and that we almost never turn on air conditioning in the summer. I’ve been tracking our energy use on the computer. Our electricity use hass been decreasing steadily, but the cost of electricity has risen significantly in the past five years. Even though we’re using less, we’re paying more. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-household-consume-less-of-than-usual/999935/65 "2024-04-16T13:21:46Z")
No one in house drinks sugary sodas. Restaurant meals. About half of all meals in the U.S. are purchased outside the home. For us, it’s about 5 or 10 percent (1 or 2 meals a week). It’s partly to save money, partly that it’s healthier, and partly just habit. As a consequence, we probably consume more groceries than average. And we are making up for everyone who doesn’t drink beer, wine or coffee. We don’t have a cable TV subscription, although we do use streaming services. I guess that’s becoming common these days. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-your-household-consume-less-of-than-usual/999935.md?page=3)