A 2025 report from NielsenIQ puts Gen X’s global spending power at over $15 trillion, making them economic heavyweights who aren’t just buying whatever’s trending.
But what’s fascinating about Gen X is that they are picky about what becomes permanent and what ends up in the digital trash. Millennials eagerly adopt every app update, while boomers may resent changes, period. Gen Xers selectively pick their battles. They will master Spotify and miss out on TikTok dances. They will use GPS and miss out on the influencer-recommended restaurants.
Take a look at 12 outmoded behaviors Gen X has unanimously voted against and why their behavior may be wiser than you realize.
Checking newspapers first thing in the morning
You rise from bed, stroll out onto the front porch in your bathrobe, and lay out that crispy-fresh newspaper alongside your coffee. It sounds nice and quiet. However, Pew Research found that only 22% of Gen Xers get their mornings that way in 2025, compared with 45% a decade prior. Everyone’s using a news app like Flipboard or Apple News.
According to ResearchGate, print reading can reduce information overload by a larger percentage compared to reading on computer screens. When you have kids to get out the door and you’re out the door yourself for work, standing around for yesterday’s news doesn’t work anymore. Gen X values efficiency, and as a consequence, morning rituals were streamlined.
Flipping through CD collections to find music
Picture this: you’re heading out for a road trip and spend twenty minutes digging through a binder of scratched CDs, trying to find that perfect driving playlist.
Neuroscientists suggest a connection between physical music libraries and enhanced memory associations and emotional experiences. There’s magic in holding an album cover and reading liner notes. But if your car no longer has a CD player and your phone has 50 million songs preloaded onto it, the choice becomes obvious. Gen X adjusted and didn’t lose their love of good music—though they now stream it.
Using landlines for essential conversations
Do you remember when placing a call required being affixed to a kitchen wall with a curly wire? Those landlines are still mostly dormant and are used more frequently for emergencies than for chatting.
Telecommunications figures indicate that landlines are 25% clearer with fewer signal drops. When you can see someone’s face on a video call and can speak from anywhere with a cellphone, the edge of being stuck at a fixed spot diminishes. Gen X understood that connection isn’t just about good audio quality, but also about convenience and visual contact.
Writing thank-you notes by hand
After a dinner party, do you pull out good stationery and a pen to write personal notes of gratitude? Hallmark’s etiquette survey found that Gen X still takes the time to write thank-you notes by hand, yet email gratitude has increased by 40% per year as the preferred approach.
Studies on gratitude handwriting from 2024 publications suggest that physically writing gratitude fosters deeper emotional processing and stronger neural connections. Pen and paper perform a magical act for both the author and the receiver.
However, if you wish to express gratitude immediately while the emotion is still fresh, delaying until stamp acquisition and locating addresses undermines the effectiveness of the expression. Gen X learned how to use the right medium and right moment.
Browsing physical bookstores for new reads
Serenity of quiet bookstore aisles, tracing your fingers along spines, chance discoveries at display tables—book lovers’ heaven.
Literary research reveals that browsing books physically leads to a 15% higher completion rate—there’s something about handling books before purchase that makes one more committed to reading them.
The tactile experience of bookshops has discoveries that algorithms cannot emulate. However, if you can get any book delivered overnight or downloaded instantly, convenience usually triumphs over experience. Gen X didn’t lose their desire to read; they just discovered more efficient methods of satisfying their appetite.
Paying with cash for everything
Peeling bills from a leather wallet, counting exact change, keeping receipts in neat stacks—cash transactions feel solid and real.
Economic research from the University of Surrey reveals that paying with cold, hard cash reduces impulse purchases because it feels more tangible than using plastic. There’s also a psychological component of seeing your money actually leave your wallet.
With contactless payments that reduce line waits to nearly zero and eliminate the need to dig out exact change from a purse or pocket, savings are impossible to ignore. Gen X learned how to budget on the computer instead of with cash limits.
Driving without GPS assistance
Navigating routes by heart, recognizing landmarks, and making scenic detours when lost—driving once was an adventure in directions. Data shows that 28% of Gen X use technology for car insurance, such as location-enabled apps, compared to 41% of Gen Z.
Psychology of navigation studies, using 2024 brain scans, reveal that map-reading and route memorization of the old variety improve spatial reasoning skills by 20%. There is cognitive merit in studying geography and developing an internal sense of direction.
However, if GPS can avoid valuable time and angst through accident and detour prevention, the pragmatics win out over the mental workout. Gen X retained their direction sense and supplemented it with technical aid.
Waiting for weekly TV episodes
Tuesday nights became “Friends” night. You planned around the big shows, skirted spoilers, and chatted about cliffhangers with the office crew come morning.
Family television nights used to be sacred hours—everyone gathered around a single television and debated reactions and predictions. Then Netflix started dropping full seasons at once, and the desire to watch just one more episode became irrepressible. The communal cultural ritual transformed from week-to-week suspenseful waits to weekend viewing marathons.
Gen X replaced deadline TV with the convenience of ordering shows from home, although each generation loses out on communal cultural experiences.
Keeping detailed physical planners
Writing schedules into book-bound calendars, color-coding of disparate sections of life, flipping pages to look at an upcoming month—paper calendars granted feelings of control over one’s schedule.
Time management research reveals that handwriting appointments can reduce stress due to the tactile satisfaction derived from pen-on-paper interaction. Physical calendars also prevent digital distractions from phone calendars that arise from checking them.
However, where family coordination requires mutual use and automatic reminders prevent forgotten appointments, digital calendars become essential for busy schedules. Gen X was able to stay calm with no paper proof.
Following every social media trend
Scrolling through viral dances, skipping hashtag challenges, eye-rolling at filter crazes—Gen X views social media with healthy suspicion. GWI’s 2025 media audit reveals that 45% of Gen X remains comparatively trend-proof, primarily using social sites as a news feed and a means of checking in with friends, rather than pursuing viral content.
Social psychology studies also caution that chasing trends may heighten FOMO by 22% and lessen genuine self-expression. Keeping up with each viral sensation may become tiring and time-consuming. Gen X discovered that careful social media use safeguards time and mental health while still enabling digital connection. Gen Xers interact with depth and purpose as opposed to frenetic behavior.
Avoiding plant-based meal options
Gen Xers were often raised on protein-centric, simple meals, grilling medium-rare steaks, bypassing tofu experiments, and sticking to meat-and-potatoes traditions. NIQ’s report on last year’s 2025 food trends finds that while 29% of respondents still prefer retro, meat-laden diets, 51% tried plant-based substitutes the previous year.
Nutritional studies from the National Institute of Health have associated higher consumption of vegetarian cuisine with improved cardiovascular outcomes and a lower environmental footprint. Most vegetarian foods are highly comparable in terms of taste and mouthfeel to their conventional counterparts.
But the trend isn’t abandoning familiar cuisine at all — it’s introducing variety where substitutes are tasty and nutritious. Gen X views eating changes with a utilitarian, rather than an ideology-based, perspective.
Sticking rigidly to 9-to-5 schedules
Working nine to five, finishing at five, and having weekends as weekends—classic schedules created clear boundaries around work and time off.
Labor productivity data associate flexible schedules with greater output and enhanced job satisfaction. Individuals are peaking at their own times, and inflexible schedules are disrupting their natural rhythms. However, Gen X discovered that flexibility requires discipline—working from home requires greater self-management skills than office supervision offers. Time clocks were exchanged for results-based accountability.
Major lesson
Gen X’s choosy attitude towards updating customs betrays a generation that prizes originality above currentness and expedience above tradition. They are neither indiscriminately rejecting change nor indiscriminately adopting all innovations. They are making intelligent judgments about which updates actually enrich their lives and which increase complications.
This pragmatic approach to habit evolution demonstrates wisdom gained from navigating massive technological and cultural shifts. Gen X witnessed the transition from analog to digital, from appointment television to streaming, from physical media to cloud storage. They understand that newer isn’t always better, but they also recognize when change offers real advantages.
Disclaimer–This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
Don’t Swipe Until You Read This: The 7 Best Credit Cards for 2025 Ranked by Rewards
The 7 Best Credit Cards for 2025 Ranked by Rewards
There’s this moment that sticks with me—standing at a checkout line, swiping my old card like I always did, and thinking, “Wait… why am I not getting anything back for this?” I wasn’t traveling on points. I wasn’t getting cash back. I was spending. Sound familiar?
Look, the truth is, credit cards can work for you—if you choose the right one. And in 2025, you’ve got some advantageous options that can actually boost your bank account. From travel lovers to grocery haulers, there’s something for everyone.
Let’s break down the best credit cards out there this year—the ones that actually give back.
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If you’re looking to get more out of your daily brew, consider experimenting with blends designed for smoother, steadier
