Some info:

100% clean Forms application: 8,875 mb RAM
Forms application with 256x256 white background BMP image: 9,724 mb RAM
Doublebuffered Forms application with 256x256 white background BMP image: 9,764 mb RAM (almost the same)

Console apps with a do loop
100% clean Console application: 7,424 mb
100% clean Console application w/o references: 4,888 mb

Even the minimalist of apps take up too much memory, since the system has lots of free memory to spend anyways. See it as the OS paying everyone a lot since it has lots to spend, but when in an economical crisis it will scarcely give everyone some.