Everything old becomes new again, and younger generations are rediscovering plenty of habits boomers never stopped using.
Before replacing
Repairing things yourself may have felt dated, something only your waste-not, want-not grandparents would do. But DIY and fixer-uppers are trending with young folks again.
Thanks to online tutorials, financial necessity, concerns for sustainability, and the pride that comes with making something work again, sewing on a ripped shirt, refinishing antique furniture, mending broken household goods, and upcycling thrift store treasures are enjoying new popularity.
The backyard solution
Growing one’s own vegetables used to be something that seemed like people did only because they were bored. Kids these days are discovering how gratifying it can be to harvest tomatoes, herbs, or peppers rather than rely on the grocery store for everything. Higher food costs, as well as curiosity about where food is sourced, have given the classic garden patch new appeal.
On the line
Clothes dryers are handy, but hanging laundry out costs you nothing and may even leave your clothes smelling naturally fresh. Doing what seemed like an irritatingly old task has new appeal for people looking to cut down on electricity and prolong clothing life. Even a little drying rack on a balcony revives the same idea.
Money you can see
Making purchases with cash can feel painfully inconvenient when you can pay with your phone in seconds. But some younger consumers are reviving cash envelopes and cash-based budgets because watching your money physically vanish forces you to acknowledge your spending.
Written by hand
Why use pen and paper when there’s an app for that? Paper can’t ding you with notifications, die from low battery, or distract you into scrolling Facebook while you’re halfway through taking a list. These are all reasons young people are picking up pens again.
Made at home
Homemade bread, jam, pickles, soup, or cake used to be viewed as ridiculously labor-intensive when you could buy all these things already made at the store. Many old-school skills have found their way back into the hands of youth with sourdough, fermenting, meal prep, and homesteading. When grandmother’s kitchen habits are rebranded as hobbies, they suddenly sound awesome.
The Sunday routine
Older generations scheduled one day a week to do laundry, grocery shop, clean house, prep meals, or get ready for the week. It sounds rigid until you realize how much brain power is freed up when you no longer have to make small decisions.
Youngsters these days are all about the “Sunday reset,” complete with social-media videos documenting a routine their ancestors practiced without ever labeling it as such.
The good set
Boomers were taught that you bought some household items and kept them for decades. Consumers who have grown up with inexpensive disposable goods are learning the advantages of durable cookware, well-made furniture, leather shoes, and other items that can be repaired instead of replaced.
Spending more money once may be less expensive than buying the cheap version five times.
Calling instead
Making a phone call can feel artificially formal for a text-and-DM generation. After texting back-and-forth 25 messages about where to meet up, however, the boomer remedy clicks: just pick up the phone and sort it out in two minutes flat.
A full pantry
Boxes of rice, pasta, flour, beans, canned tomatoes, frozen veggies & other basics sitting at home might seem like hoarding until you’re exhausted, ill, broke, or can’t get to the store. Stocking your pantry allows you to make cheap meals without calling for takeout. Boomers who grew up with parents who stocked the cupboards knew the luxury well before pantry staples became millennial lifestyle content.
Nothing owned
Previous generations used to admonish us not to pay cash you do not have for everyday wants. With new-age credit cards and buy now pay later services, delaying payment has become gloriously easy.
However, millennials and younger generations are also learning the hassle of having several small debts. Waiting to buy something until you have saved up for it is no fun. But there is something freeing about owning something outright.
The early start
Waking up early on a weekend used to sound like living life the opposite of enjoying your life. Now people have realized the joys of getting errands done before stores get crowded, parking being easy, or half of today’s to-do list being complete by lunchtime.
Now Dad waking up early to be at the hardware store just minutes after they open doesn’t sound so absurd.
Just sitting there
To younger people, perhaps nothing seems weirder about boomers than their ability to just sit and do nothing. They don’t scroll at the bus stop, watch videos while eating lunch, and don’t feel compelled to entertain themselves every 30 seconds.
It feels strange at first, but giving your mind a chance to wander, watching people/watching things, or even just being bored is nice once in a while.
One more container
There was a time you could sneer at the drawer full of washed butter tubs, takeaway containers, jars, and perfectly good boxes. But then reusable storage went trendy green. Boomers might not have termed it “sustainable living,” but washing out a hardy container and reusing it instead of tossing it is the same concept.
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