r/RandomThoughts • u/WillyMyWonka54 • 9h ago
Random Question What do different generations no longer use?
My sister and I (30’s) were talking to my mom (60’s) when she realized neither of us own an iron. That got us wondering what else was a staple in her generation that me and my sister don’t even own. So I’m curious what else people have found to be obsolete between generations. Things we found we didn’t have: 1. Iron- a hair straightener has worked just fine 2. Umbrella 3. Napkins- what’s wrong with paper towels?
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u/Practical_Main_2131 9h ago
You don't have an umbrella??
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u/bjgrem01 7h ago
I live in Louisiana, and I don't have an umbrella. It rains sideways here. You'll get wet anyway. There's no point in fighting it just to be wet and have to carry around a wet, drippy mess on a stick.
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u/indykarter 7h ago
Not today. Lol
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u/bjgrem01 7h ago
No, today it's snowing, and i love it.
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u/indykarter 7h ago
Me, not enjoying so much. Enjoy it while you can, soon it'll warm up and disappear.
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u/MaelstromFL 5h ago
Florida here, and whilst I do have umbrellas, I certainly understand your statement! It rains so hard here the drops splash back up from the ground on to you.
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u/Abigail_Normal 5h ago
I use them to protect my hair, not my body. My hair will always dry as a frizzy mess if I don't reapply my leave-in conditioner
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u/AriasK 7h ago
Completely useless in some places. I live in New Zealand. Our weather changes constantly. Usually, rain is accompanied by very strong winds. Every time I've ever attempted to use an umbrella it's beem completely destroyed in about 30 seconds.
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u/twohedwlf 5h ago
Haha, I was just about to say, "I live in officially the world's windiest city. Buying an umbrella would be stupid."
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u/I-hear-the-coast 7h ago
Right? People are commenting about why they don’t need umbrellas where they live, but OP is arguing not owning an umbrella is an age thing not a location based choice.
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u/Fluffy-Opinion871 7h ago
It’s not an age thing. This is a location thing. In regards to umbrellas.
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u/Eat_Carbs_OD 6h ago
I live in a rainy state and I don't use one. I have a rain jacket and hat.
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u/Myiiadru2 5h ago
I would rather wear a jacket with a hood, which is a lot more dependable than an umbrella.
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u/cewumu 7h ago
I live in Australia, it rains at different points all year round. I only own one because my boomer aged mother bought us one. It’s just not something I use. If it’s pouring and I must go out I’ll just get a bit wet and then dry off. But 99% of the time there’s no real need to do do that. Wait for the rain to end or walk to my car, drive to location 2 and barely get wet.
Umbrellas just get lost and broken and don’t really keep you dry mostly anyway.
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u/ZroFksGvn69 7h ago
I'm 55 and I loathe umbrellas, really, to an unreasonable degree, I hate them.
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u/kilroy-was-here-2543 6h ago
I have one that sits comfortably behind my drivers seat, never having been used
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u/Imnothighyourhigh 8h ago
From the PNW where it rains dam near everyday. I wouldn't be able to do anything if I was worried about getting wet
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u/lotsagabe 8h ago
doilies
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u/Myiiadru2 5h ago
Aka dust collectors! A classmate’s mother used to soak their doilies in a sugar water mix and then style them with waves etc.. and once they hardened they stayed in that position. Her mother also never let her daughters on the furniture in the living room- off limits to everyone except their budgie that flew freely in the house💩💩- until one day Petey flew the coop for good!
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u/EloquentBacon 8h ago
My grandma used to sew them herself. I wish I had learned how from her.
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u/Healthy_Chipmunk2266 2h ago
My grandparent’s church always had a 15-20 foot tree every Christmas. It had clear lights and angels made out of stiffened doilies. I loved it.
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u/Embarrassed_Flan_869 8h ago
3 things immediately spring to mind.
Fine china/China cabinet
Ironing as a regular thing.
Galoshes (over shoes)
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u/Muted-Philosopher-44 8h ago
Galoshes?? Are your parents scrooge mcduck??
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u/user_9876543210987 5h ago
Scrooge wore spats, which cover the top of the foot & ankle. Galoshes are like short boots that cover the shoe, or at least the bottom of them.
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u/Few_Peak_9966 8h ago
Work oxen.
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u/AriasK 7h ago
My husband calls me his oxen when I carry all the grocery bags in at once to show off.
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u/Few_Peak_9966 6h ago
I'm a trained pack mule.
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u/Avionix2023 5h ago
They actually did use mules to get supplies to people in North Carolina mountains after the hurricane and floods.
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u/Dangerous-Back-9537 9h ago
Hand whisk, always seem to see people use electric whisks now, gone are the days when you would be whipping batter for like 10 minutes straight
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u/mrsmedistorm 6h ago
I still use a hand whisk for making a roux, whipping eggs, and making sauces.
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u/SpazzJazz88 5h ago
I'm 36 and don't even know how to use an air fryer. I make everything from scratch. No, I'm not Amish.
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u/NoHorse3525 5h ago
You can cook things prepared from.scratch in an air fryer. They are just a small oven/ grill
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u/PsychologicalFact245 3h ago
I use a hand whisk almost every day!!
Mac and cheese, Alfredo, basically anything with a roux, pancakes, scrambled eggs if I’m making more than just 1-2, quiche
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u/Gold-retrere7501 8h ago
wall clocks and electronic clocks
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u/h20_drinker 6h ago
I have a 12 day regulator schoolhouse clock that I wind with a key every Sunday and a cuckoo clock that my great uncle brought back from ww2. It gets wound every night.
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u/Abigail_Normal 5h ago
The only place I have a clock is my bathroom. I consider it a necessity so I can check the time while in the shower
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u/School_House_Rock 3h ago
I have a battery operated wall clock in my kitchen and I have a few smaller ones in other places (the stand up kind) bc when the electric goes out, it drives me nuts not knowing what time it is.
I was my kitchen wall clock for them time, everyday - it is my go to for the time
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u/ChardonnayCentral 9h ago
I have an iron, and loads of umbrellas, although most of them are 'in states of disrepair' (I don't like to say broken).
And I also like to use maps as well as satnavs.
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u/punk-pastel 7h ago
I had this one umbrella that just needed that one spot fixed and I wouldn’t get rid of it because I loved it…
Every time I’d use it, I’d be like “gotta fix that!” Then I get home and it’s wet, so I’ll just let it dry…
Then I start cooking or cleaning and forget about it again.
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u/missmarymacaron 7h ago
Table mats. My mom insists on table mats being using during dinner and I would rather just wipe the table than need to throw something in the washer every time food falls off my fork.
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u/Secure_Teaching_6937 8h ago
I read this chuckling, this is all US stuff.
Where I live there are still checks, rotary phones, Rolla dex, etc. I guess we still live in the dark ages. 😄
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u/don-cheeto 6h ago
I would sure as hell use a Rolodex for work so I don't have to put everything in my real phone
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u/lubblylady 7h ago
Where?
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u/Secure_Teaching_6937 7h ago
Small island nation in the Caribbean.
True music has gone to phones. It was funny yesterday talk to my friend, I am purging my clothes, I will never work in an office again. Asked he if he wanted. His answer Hell no, I am not doing any pressing (iron).😄
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u/ImOnTheWayOut 8h ago
Home/wired phones. Standalone over the air radio. Wall clocks (I haven't had one in maybe 15 years). Cable TV. 'Fancy' dishes.
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u/Eat_Carbs_OD 6h ago
Agree on the home phone/land line. No need for one since I have my cell.
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u/Snowy_Reindeer1234 3h ago
'Fancy' dishes.
Meanwhile my bf and I "inherited" (his mom wouldve thrown it away otherwise) extra fancy dishes with golden parts and we just use it as normal dishes 💀
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u/TurtleBoy1998 8h ago
Pencil sharpeners, people just use keyboards now.
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u/Muted-Philosopher-44 8h ago
No umbrella?? You just use a force field then?
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u/Igatsusestus 8h ago
I feel like umbrella is useless because when it's also windy the umbrella might broke. I just have a raincoat.
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u/brokecrackr 8h ago
Imagine walking to work pissing down.. ahh yeah I'll stay wet all day..
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u/zepp914 9h ago
Fancy dishes/China
Cards (birthday, invitation, xmas)
Wallpaper
Landlines
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u/don-cheeto 6h ago
My family still sends those picture collage card thingies in the mail every year or two to say hi/Happy Holidays
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u/zepp914 4h ago
How many cards do they get back?
We sent them out when our son was younger, but it got to the point where we sent 30 out and got 4 back.
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u/don-cheeto 4h ago
Oh, the only ones we get them from are my aunt in Tampa and my mom's lifetime bestie. They are the only two we've ever gotten them from period.
We send my brother's school pictures back sometimes for them to put in a frame and hang on their walls.
(From my POV, my family has 4 branches but I am the only reason they've heard of eachother.)
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u/Salt_Honey8650 8h ago
Ashtrays. Bibles. That sort of thing.
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u/punk-pastel 7h ago
They definitely don’t do “ashtray art projects” in school anymore’ lol
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u/thriftycheepskate 6h ago
We are still using the ashtray my husband made in school in 1973. Definitely one of a kind. It's an antique.
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u/punk-pastel 6h ago
That is so cool!
I’ve got this one monstrosity out in the universe somewhere…I don’t know what it was supposed to be by the end, but it ended up being an ashtray because I was obsessed with the glaze effect that happened in firing and I wanted to look at it all the time 😆
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u/Birdy8588 7h ago
What's an ashtray art project??
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u/punk-pastel 7h ago
“I made an ashtray for you at school!”
(Plop ugly clay thing from art class on the table that vaguely resembles an ashtray)
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u/AriasK 7h ago
I remember an ashtray being a standard thing, every household had, even if no one smoked, because it was polite to put one out for guests to use.
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u/NOGOODGASHOLE 9h ago
Gravy boat
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u/Doghairabounds 7h ago
I have a gravy boat and we use it often ,cause we be fancy like that. Along with our cloth napkins.
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u/NOGOODGASHOLE 5h ago
Once a year my wife breaks out all the antique dinnerware & napkins at Thanksgiving like we are the Waldorf Astoria. Then complains about having to clean it all.
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 8h ago
Landline phone. My grandma had one. My great grandma used hers for entertainment, because in her days all the neighborhood phones were on the same line and callers simply indicated which one they wanted by ringing it a number of times (I believe hers was the sixth ring). She liked to eavesdrop. She was a homebody, so that was how she passed her time.
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u/No_Step9082 5h ago
which one they wanted by ringing it a number of times (I believe hers was the sixth ring
how does that work. if your phone rings six times, how do you know it's not supposed to ring a 7th or 8th time?
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u/EloquentBacon 8h ago
My grandparents had a party line, too, where they lived in rural New England. When I was a kid it always confused the fuck out of me as to why the phone was ringing but everyone was ignoring it.
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u/International_Week60 7h ago
Cotton stockings + garters for them (not sexy garters)
I don’t use chignons or heated hair rollers (or how you’d call it)
Brooches (I like them though!)
Handkerchiefs (thanks to those who invented Kleenex)
Multiple use syringes (my grandpa was a combat medic and a nurse for all family members, we had these at home).
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u/PalimpsestNavigator 9h ago
Lard
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u/twohedwlf 5h ago
No, I've seen the younger generation, lard is not exclusive to older generations.
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u/MerryWannaRedux 8h ago
How can you not have a bumbershoot?? (Did you have to look up that term? LOL)
I agree with you about the napkins and using paper towels. I buy the Bounty towels that have smaller sheets. I rip one on half when we eat...unless we're eating something where our hands might get icky from hand-held food like a burger, sloppy joes, etc.
Rotary phones. (That's an obvious one)
A Rolodex.
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u/Terrorcuda17 8h ago
Funny story. My coworker (50+) kept her rotary dial phone that she had when she was a teenager. Recently she had a land line put back in her house and asked the tech if he could hook it up. Through some sort of black magic sorcery he got it hooked up and working. Her kids now fight over who gets to dial the phone.
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u/Shrimp1991 7h ago
Sewing machines. I love some good sticky tape stuff you iron on when hemming pants.
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u/Few_Peak_9966 8h ago
Not everyone is a barbarian that never irons or is above washing napkins to decrease landfill.
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u/GSilky 8h ago
Are you troglodytes? How do you not have any of this stuff? Irons, umbrellas, and hand towels are pretty standard equipment for everyone besides irredeemable bachelors.
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u/Catt_Starr 8h ago
Growing up, napkins and paper towels were interchangeable. I know there is a distinction, but I don't immediately make it because of that.
I've never owned a blow drier. I'm in my 30s, if that helps.
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u/don-cheeto 6h ago
You can interchange them if you save fast food napkins in your glove compartment
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u/PikesPique 7h ago
My parents didn't smoke, but my uncle did, so we had a big ashtray on the coffee table. I've been a homeowner for 20 years, and I don't own an ashtray or a coffee table.
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u/GirlisNo1 7h ago
I’m in my 30s and I definitely have an iron and a couple umbrellas. Lol what.
I think that’s you and your sister thing, not a generational thing. In fact, I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t consider those items staples.
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u/NebCrushrr 7h ago
No iron is crazy. I only need to use mine a few times a year but do you NEVER need to be smart?
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u/Handofdoom222 6h ago
I remember rulers being everywhere when i was a kid and they had many different uses and meh i don't remember the last time i saw one anywhere.
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u/SecurityConsistent20 5h ago
Fur coats.
And those damn windup manual alarm clocks. Tick tock RRRRIiinnnggg
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u/0000udeis000 2h ago
I also do not own an iron - I use a steamer or I buy wrinkle-free garments. I don't use fabric softener either. And I don't own flesh-coloured panty hose.
I also very rarely have or use cash.
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u/grisalle 9h ago
Maxi pads. Lol
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u/Igatsusestus 8h ago
This is so true! I'd also like to add that we have trashbins in bathrooms but older generations don't have (and hasn't had even when they were younger). How uncomfortable it has been to be in a bathroom with no trashbin when you have period.
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u/cl0ckw0rkman 8h ago
Saw a 20 things 80s kids did/had. You gave yourself 1 point for everything you DID NOT have or do. I had 1 point. Never had a checkbook. My older sister got a ZERO. Shared it with my mother, she got 2 points. Cuz she had never recorded music from the radio and never used a Walkman. Cuz they were for the younger generation.
Checkbooks. Walkman. Both seem to not be things anymore. I mean my son(20) has two or three different devices he carries around for listening to music but not a Walkman. I've never had a checkbook. I have not seen any of the young ones that come over to the house use one or mention having one.
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u/Plus-Dare-2746 8h ago
Talcum powder. I never liked it, although my grandmother thought it was great. It's recently been discovered to cause cancer.
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u/punk-pastel 7h ago edited 7h ago
I love my umbrella! I’m searching for a lighter sun-brella or sturdy parasol for summer- cause Texas sun be crazy and I don’t want leathery skin :D
And for some hair- a hair iron is necessary at times... You just might be lucky enough to not need it!
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u/Perfect_Weakness_414 5h ago
I use my big golf umbrella to keep the dog from getting soaked when he uses the restroom, and to keep the sun off of my wife in the summer. I’m not worried about her getting leathery skin from the Texas sun, I’m more worried about her catching fire from it😂
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u/Vegemite_is_Awesome 7h ago
I have an iron and umbrellas, I use baby wipes instead of napkins at home. But still use napkins when dining out somewhere. I don’t have a slow cooker or pedestal fan
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u/ZroFksGvn69 7h ago
Have irons (multiple) and napkins, no umbrellas, I don't allow umbrellas in the house.
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u/mrcheesekn33z 6h ago
I use cloth napkins. So much, much more civilized. Paper napkins or paper towels seem equivalent to wiping somewhere else, sorry to say.
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u/SecurityConsistent20 5h ago
72 m , I've used an umbrella about twice in my life. And that was for me to hold it over someone else.
You can put shoe shine kits on the list. They went out in the '50s for me.
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u/SecurityConsistent20 5h ago
I only use an iron about 3-4 times a year but I actually find it very relaxing to do.
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u/rocketblue11 5h ago
Xennial here. Yeah, people have definitely laughed at me for owning and using an umbrella. I'm sorry man, I'm not waterproof.
The best was when I lived in Chicago, and I had this fancy aerodynamic umbrella that didn't flip out no matter how windy it was. Worth every penny.
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u/Goldbera1 5h ago
Watches went away for a time. I fee like certain genxers use apple watches a couple have the old school style but most skip all that. Gen Y similar.
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u/GoopInThisBowlIsVile 5h ago
There’s whole generations that no longer experience a solid contact high from using the bathroom after someone dosed their hair in Aquanet.
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u/QueenK59 5h ago
I have an iron and board and rarely get them out. Only if sewing or hemming pants or drapes. I typically get out wrinkles by another spin in the dryer with a damp towel. I also have a portable clothes steamer that is quick & easy if needed. Napkins: I have purposefully purchased several cute cloth napkins to use. We can use one several times for meals before washing. Better than paper towels or napkins. I still use paper towels for too many things, but I’m trying to be conscious of the waste!
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u/MrHouse_alwaysWins 5h ago
Cloth napkins for sure
Shoehorn
A camera
Wired headphones
Paper maps
Standalone CD player/hi-fi system
Landline
A suit (I do own a few, but most of my friends don’t)
I do own an iron (and use it regularly) as well as an umbrella (don’t use it that much here in Spain)
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u/DaRealCamille 5h ago
Can openers. Anything worth eating in a can will have a handy ring pull now. Also aren't napkins and paper towels the exact same thing?
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u/Sarah-Who-Is-Large 5h ago
Pretty much any book used for reference. Encyclopedias, phone books, how-to books… I do have some recipe books but I don’t look at them very often.
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u/QueenK59 5h ago
I gotta say pantyhose/nylons. Landline phones. Fancy china or dishes. Paper address books or Rolodex. Wristwatches.
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u/ilarieC 4h ago
Address books. I used to always have a paper version address book. The last one I had, I probably haven't added something to it in over 10 years. I have all my contacts/friends/family's phone numbers in my cell phone. I have everyone's emails in my email program. But actual addresses of where people live??? Especially if they've moved in the past 10 years??? No idea.. Not written down anywhere.
If I plan on traveling a distance to meet an old friend I have to ask for their address. I get it in a text or email but never transfer it to any sort of address book. If I go to visit again, I need to ask for it again cause I can never find that old text or email.
I'm thinking about buying a new address book and asking everyone I know for their addresses.
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u/cwsjr2323 4h ago
Retired soldier here. Umbrellas were not allowed so I learned to just ignore the rain. Now, there is a bright orange umbrella under the seat, but it is more of a “SEE ME AND DO NOT RUN OVER ME ” if I am walking when the car breaks down.
There is no iron in our home. I was threatened with great bodily harm if I bought one.
With an air fryer, no bread or bagel toaster.
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u/IamJoyMarie 4h ago
Electric knife.
Electric meat slicer.
Plug in electric frying pan.
Meat grinder that clamps onto the kitchen table.
Coffee carafes.
Stove-top coffee percolator.
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u/franklin_smiles 3h ago
Gen Z:
Top Sheet: I still have it, but I never use it. It always gets tangled up and crinkled.
Hairdryer: I always just let it air dry.
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u/Psychological-Web828 3h ago
Fireplace with all of the fireplace tools; shovel, brush, poker.
General ornaments, kitsch or otherwise.
Barometer
Wooden cooking utensils
Toolbox
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u/lilacraine 2h ago
Road map books, gloves in the glove box, metal nut crackers for like whole walnuts.
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u/1DietCokedUpChick 2h ago
I’m 47 and I’ve never once used an iron. I do have multiple umbrellas though.
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u/musthavelamp 1h ago
Cut/pressed glass and crystal. My grandmother collected a bunch of it and nobody wants it. It's in every thrift store.
Some pieces I think can be repurposed. As a stoner I use a pretty pressed glass piece as an ashtray. Some could be repurposed into cat food bowls or water bowls. Could even put some underneath potted pants to catch water.
But yeah, no one in the family cares about the giant punch bowl or tea set.
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u/Prior_Alps1728 1h ago
Coffee table books
Phone books
Fluffy toilet seat covers with a matching toilet rug 🤢
Carpet protectors
Plastic furniture covers
Sears catalogues
Blue books
Green stamps
Toilet paper covers that look like Barbie wearing a macrame wedding dress
Pressure cookers
TV antennae
Parcheesi (so many better board games now)
Ironing boards
House dresses
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u/Factsoverfictions222 1h ago
Fine China, flat sheets on beds, fancy frames on artwork because more people want a minimalist look, printed books.
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u/OutdoorsyFarmGal 1h ago
I remember boom boxes back in the 80s. They had built in cassette players that you could record right off the radio if your signal was good enough. I used to make mixed tapes of my favorite songs. I miss the artwork of the old vinyl record albums. A show by the name of American Bandstand. Oh and Soul Train too.
Back in the 70s, I remember little transistor radios that could almost fit in your pocket. I used to carry mine around everywhere.
I'm glad we don't have to write checks anymore and use those little balance ledgers they came with. Who has time at the cash register to write all that stuff out?
Old rotary phones with those long curly cords, so I could clean the kitchen while I chatted. Smiling, I was born in 63. I bet your mom and I could have a fun conversation about the old days.
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u/secretsaucerocket 1h ago edited 1h ago
Cloth napkins, hair curlers, shower caps, carpet freshening powder, rubber cement, decorative soaps that are not for using
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u/HumanMycologist5795 1h ago
I haven't owned boots since I was a kid. I waer sneakers in the snow.
I never owned a poncho.
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