Misconception
Actually, it all depends on what you consider "consumer" programs. The quick answer is this:
Even though no single program on a consumer's computer will come close to using 1GB of RAM by itself, there are many that are known hogs that are still sometimes used in homes such as:
-Outlook
-Photoshop
-Kodak Easy Share
-Most Anti-virus programs that you buy off the shelf
-Quicken/Quickbooks
When you want a computer to perform, ALL programs and processes that are running must have enough RAM to perform, as well as a little breathing room. For anyone who wants to know what is actually open/running, as well as to prove that the page file indeed gets used, go to start--->run and type in "taskmgr" (without quotes) and click "OK." Once there, the Processes tab will show you the processes running and the Performance tab shows you page file use, available memory, etc.
With programs getting more advanced everyday, they require more and more from your computer. I personally don't let any of my clients go without at least 2GB of RAM these days and they thank me for it.