man, my nephew deals with that superiority bullshit too. the only difference is he just turned 16, oregon wouldn't grant him a work permit last year because his living situation has been fucked for over two years (my brother kicked him out of the kid smoking weed). his lady does the same shit to him all the time.
it's fucking bullshit.
it's one thing to hold a full time job and take care of one or two chores while the other is a stay at home parent and manages the children/pets/bulk of chores. division of responsibilities. just because one works does not negate the fact that functional adults still have responsibilities for home upkeep. expecting the stay at home parent to carry everything is bullshit, and if that's the assumption then it's no longer a partnership.
likewise, if the stay at home parent doesn't handle the home stuff then it's not a partnership.
there's no fucking point in that kind of relationship because y'all end up fighting against each other instead of building together.
utilities, though, man... they're a motherfucker to explain to someone that doesn't understand how they get billed out. like you said, the volume is the volume, it costs just as much per gallon whether you trickle the faucet or turn it full bore. same with electricity -- a kW is a kW, turn off the fucking light switch when you the leave the room! just about the only thing that's constant is garbage service, but even that's wasteful if a motherfucker don't get the cans out for pickup.
and using the crutch of mental illness.... ugh i hate that shit. everyone is stressed out and depressed, but most of us manage to get up every day, put on our adult pants, and get shit done. using one's mental illness to diminish another's is arguably the most narcissistic thing i've experienced yet. like a pissing contest of scars. this is a fundamental reason i've been looking for a family lawyer for a while because i refuse to pay child support to someone that can't even get out of bed daily despite being in therapy for two years and on meds. i'm unmedicated bipolar and manage to get my shit done on teh daily despite having this goddamn fever and fatigue for over a month now. life sucks, you gotta push through or go find a fucking hole and rot alone.
#endrant