The world has gone digital, but baby boomers aren’t giving up these old-school habits anytime soon.
Printing out paper tickets and maps
GPS apps, smartphone boarding passes and digital wallets notwithstanding, Boomers love their hard copy. Before they leave for the airport or a concert, Boomers will print out every reservation, flight confirmation and MapQuest or Google directions in case the phone dies or there’s no signal.
For Boomers, it’s reassuring to have physical proof in hand. Screens don’t replace that sense of control.
Leaving voice messages on purpose
To Gen Z and Millennials, a dropped call without notice is a minor crisis. An actual voicemail? Archaic.
To Boomers, leaving a lengthy voicemail message is a perfectly acceptable phone conversation. Boomers will talk after the beep for two minutes, leaving a saga, time/date markers and return-call instructions, and they’ll usually read their number twice.
Balancing a physical checkbook or paper ledger
Even with automatic payments, online banking apps, and instant push notifications, some Boomers still write out every transaction in a checkbook register or ledger on paper each month.
They love verifying bank statements line by line and trust their own handwriting and math more than the bank’s computer algorithm.
Watching live cable TV and local news at 6:00 PM
Younger generations may have fully shifted to streaming services, but Boomers are still the main viewers of linear TV. They will sit through local news at night, check the weather forecast, and settle in for network television shows at night, complete with commercial interruptions.
They enjoy browsing through the channel guide to see what’s on tonight.
Writing down passwords in a physical notebook
While password managers such as 1Password or Bitwarden may be best practice, Boomers trust their little beaten-up spiral notebook sitting next to the desktop computer.
Scribbled inside (usually with the completely honest label “My Passwords”) is every password they’ll ever need to log in to online services: their bank accounts, email, everything. Storing passwords offline in a desk drawer sounds safer to a Boomer than keeping them in the cloud.
Clipping and saving physical paper coupons
Coupons can still be a digital delight with in-app digital discounts and loyalty rewards, but Boomers still enjoy the tangible tradition of clipping paper coupons from the Sunday paper or direct mail inserts.
They will sort coupons by category in plastic sleeve wallets to proudly show off at checkout. Nothing beats watching that paper tally decrease dollar amount by dollar amount.
Keeping a giant box of “useful” cables and cords
Hidden in a basement closet or junk drawer of a spare bedroom, every Boomer household has a box full of mystery power bricks, RCA cables from 1998, coaxial cords, and VGA adapters for computers they sold for parts 20 years ago.
Boomers won’t toss them because they believe “the second you throw one away, you’ll need it.”
Buying fine China and crystal for special occasions
Boomers grew up thinking that having a service of china, silver flatware, and crystal stemware was every adult’s goal.
Millennials favor disposable, dishwasher-safe everyday dinnerware and avoid high-maintenance heirlooms. Boomers store their extra-heavy sets in special china cabinets. They still hand-wash them carefully following holiday meals.
Ironing everyday clothing (including jeans)
Ironing has become nearly nonexistent for younger adults, thanks to wrinkle-release sprays, steamers and athleisure fabrics.
For Boomers, though, setting up the ironing board and heaving steam iron are simply part of the dress-up process. Wrinkle-free khakis, starched collars and pressed denim jeans are requirements for dignity.
Arriving at the airport 3 to 4 hours early
Tell a Boomer their flight leaves at 2 p.m. and they’ll be packed, checked, and sitting at the gate by 10:30 a.m.
TSA PreCheck, no-paper boarding passes, and even those fancy speedy security lanes won’t persuade them to run at the last minute. Boomers cherish their time enjoying peace of mind past security, just in case there are huge traffic delays, long lines, or car troubles.
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