To ask why the hell teens use absolutely MASSIVE portions of everything?!

[Lex345]

Mainly light hearted but they are driving me mad!!

HUGE bottle of shampoo-gone in 4 days
Toothpaste, must be be hoarding a great white shark under the bath the amount we are going through
Seasoning-Salt Bae the crap out of it all over the kitchen. Do not even want to think about what happens to ketchup.

It cannot just be mine that are doing this! And to add insult to injury they put the EMPTY bloody containers BACK!!!

Because we allow it I guess.

My parents had 5 kids and very little money, so we couldn't have got away with it.

We had to be mindful of everyone else in the house getting their share.

If there is a way to not allow them to do it, I am all ears, because I just feel like I am nagging constantly :(

Get them to pay for it out their pocket money if they want more?

Well, yes -except that doesn't help me so much when I come to wash my hair and its all gone! They do buy their own bits and keep in their rooms but toothpaste/shampoo/food I obviously buy for everyone (but had hoped to be able to also use some!)

Loo roll.

I order in bulk off Amazon now. It's ridiculous. And yes, shower gel. I get that he's 6ft 2" but surely to God it should last more than a couple of days. How much lather do you need?

Omg yes loo roll! It wouldn't be half as bad if it was at least flagged when things are running out

When my son was in his late teens/early 20s and lived at home, I once mentioned to a male colleague that I couldn't understand why he was getting through so much soap in the shower. I got a very knowing, side-eyed wink from said male colleague! I bit my lip and never mentioned it again!

Because they are not paying for it basically

Jam - a pot doesn't even last a week
Nutella - see above.
Ice cream - see above

And yes shower gel!

Get a cabinet with a lock on it and keep your stuff in there. They can buy their own as lesson in economics.

Surely you just tell them how frequently you’re willing to buy them shampoo etc and if they use it up before that they’ll just have to buy their own or do without. Keep your own supply separately where they can’t get to it!

I remember I used to eat soooo much cheese at home growing up. Then I moved out for uni & had to do my own food shops.. quickly realised how expensive a block of cheddar is 😭😭

Or go absolutely apeshit at them for being selfish pricks, and then do this. They won't be able to say they weren't warned.

I have tried the explaining it to them but I may as well have not bothered. I could lock away luxury items-but I can hardly do that with soap, toothpaste, loo roll etc. The sheer volume being used is incredible

When the dses were teens, the worst thing was the industrial quantities of Lynx that they used every morning. So much that you could slice it, from three rooms and one floor away from the culprit.

Weaponised fragrance, I called it.

Big Pump dispenser shampoo and my sneaky trick is to mix in water after a week and mix it up so it goes further as they always pump more than they need. Again pump toothpaste but the water trick does not work

Switch them to the shitty value stuff and keep the good stuff in your room for now. Tell them they can earn the good stuff back when they’ve learned to use the recommended amount. Frustrating but might be the way to get through to them without having to nag.

I would do this.

Yeah I guess this is the way to go until they realise.

This is a good idea, thank you-even if only the shampoo!

Also yes the Lynx effect, although I do make them buy this themselves. I will buy Sure/right guard though. That seems to last much longer!

Keep yours separate. Your own shampoo, own bar of soap, own tube of toothpaste. Then buy for the rest of them only what you are willing to spend and let them battle it out. Lock yours away in a washbag in your room.

Decanter it into smaller bottles and give them one each. Tell them how long it needs to last them . Don't refill until that time or they buy their own.

Buy the really cheap stuff, if they want different they buy it!

Then it's gone it's gone. Ours were learning by doing. Didn't take long.

Or you could do the opposite and go full hotel.

They get a travel size packet of soap, a travel toothpaste, shower gel and shampoo in 100ml bottles, and 7 sachets of ketchup and salt per week.

If they use it up before the end of the week tough shit.