30 Easy Ways to Live an Old Fashioned Lifestyle on Purpose

30 Easy Ways to Live an Old Fashioned Lifestyle on Purpose

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I’m a product of the 90s, a kid raised on Disney, Huggies juice barrels, and free play. I lived on the cusp of the Internet, remember dial-up, and called my friends from a rotary phone. I roamed barefoot on my grandparents’ homestead and knew of a life before “smart” devices. I remember making plans with friends and hoping it would work out because we didn’t have cell phones yet. We printed out directions from MapQuest and rented VHS tapes from the local video store. In a sense, this was a simpler time, a world before crazy modern technology and AI took over. I see why Gen Z is obsessed with this decade, and now the 2000s as well. They lost out on so much, in my opinion, especially as the first generation to know the Internet and smart phones basically since they were born.

I’m sure you’ve heard or even said the phrase, “Things were so much better back in…(Name a previous generation or decade).” I’m sure in some ways they were; but, we live in a modern society and can’t roll back time. We can, however, make choices to live an old fashioned lifestyle. Even in today’s ultra-modern, uber-convenient society, you can impart some old fashioned choices and habits into your own life. Thanks to the era in which I grew up, along with pretty traditional and old fashioned grandparents, I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’m so excited to share these ideas with you for how to live an old fashioned life.

If you love this post, consider checking out some of my other content:

REASONS WHY I LIVE SLOWLY (AND YOU SHOULD, TOO!)

EASY STEPS TO HELP YOU START A CRUNCHY LIFESTYLE

HOW TO REDUCE SCREEN TIME AND GET YOUR LIFE BACK

HOW TO DEINFLUENCE YOUR LIVE AND LIVE MORE SIMPLY

HOW TO START YOUR FROM SCRATCH KITCHEN IN 10 SIMPLE STEPS

Table of Contents

Hand write instead of type.

Our first old fashioned lifestyle tip is to write out things by hand instead of typing. I love using my Zebra pen to write out all sorts of things, from lists to letters and everything in between. It’s so smooth and my handwriting always looks beautiful. Writing by hand sends you back to an era before email and text. An even more compelling reason to hand write instead of typing is that hand writing improves cognitive skills and fine motor coordination.

Use a typewriter instead of a computer.

Don’t have time to write things out by hand but you’d rather not use a computer? You’re in luck! There’s another great option. Another way to live an old fashioned lifestyle is to use a typewriter. It can be a little clunkier than a regular keyboard so there’s a slight learning curve, but there’s something so nostalgic about the clacking of typewriter keys. While Amazon does sell them, the options are limited. Your best bet is to check out Etsy. Many shops offer fully refurbished vintage typewriters and they aren’t that expensive.

Buy a CD player, cassette player, or radio.

Cassette tapes are making a major comeback and it looks like even CD sales are starting to resurge. Cassette tape players and CD players were released in 1962 and 1982, respectively. If you think about it, the technology isn’t that old, just over 60 and 40 years. They offer nostalgia to the max and younger individuals are loving them. Trust me, I love being able to use Spotify to find whatever song I want and to curate a personalized playlist. But, sometimes it’s overwhelming. Sometimes, I’d like less choice. Listening to music on older technology also offers a different sound, one that’s not so perfect. I think that’s partly why I love them so much.

Buy an actual map or print out directions.

When was the last time you used physical directions? For me, it’s been a while. When I lived in a small town, it was easier to use printed directions. While living in a bustling city/urban area, not so much. However, this is our next idea for living an old fashioned lifestyle. I remember traveling down to the Outer Banks in 2001 with my family along with three other families. We communicated through walkie-talkies and relied on printed directions. We all made it unscathed! The lives we live today aren’t much different from 25 years ago, except that we have a small computer at our disposal 24/7. Navigating by map or printed directions helps to increase your situational awareness and your sense of direction. When you rely on printed directions, you become much more aware of the world around you.

Watch movies on DVD and VHS.

This might be the ultimate idea for an old fashioned lifestyle. What’s funny is that it really isn’t that old fashioned. Either that, or I’m finally old! Similar to my Spotify playlist conundrum, picking from thousands of movies across multiple streaming platforms is overwhelming sometimes. And often, you have to rent the movie or show you want. Buy it on DVD or VHS and you don’t have that issue. Not to mention, if you can snag a VHS tape that’s been recorded, it’s really fun to watch the commercials that were shown on live TV at that time.

Use a record player instead of streaming.

Ah, record players. Gen Z’s way of thinking they’re cool and retro. They’ve been around for a LONG time, but have gone through a resurgence within the last decade or so. There is something so beautiful about the scratchy sound of needle on vinyl. It’s like a CD but better. “Back in the day,” they were the norm for music listening opportunities. One brand suggestion is Audio Technica, which makes a beautiful record player that’s also easy to use.

Find recipes in cookbooks, or at least print them out.

Every year, when fall approaches, I buy myself the newest editions of my favorite fall cooking magazines. It’s even more fun than browsing through Pinterest. I also love to rely on printed recipes. This is such a great way to practice and old fashioned lifestyle. Recently, I got the Hope’s Table Cookbook, which reminds me so much of cooking with my grandmother. My favorite cookbook, though, has to be the Mennonite Community Cookbook. It is full of so many recipes my family still makes today. Cooking from a printed source not only promotes nostalgic feelings, but it also gets your eyes away from screens. I know you get so annoyed at those darn ads that never seem to go away!

Make lists on actual paper.

Since when did writing things on paper become old fashioned? With our smartphones in hand, we just open up a note app and type everything we need. I am always so distracted when I’m trying to navigate list-making, and writing them on paper helps me stay focused on my task at hand. For groceries, I use a simple spiral-bound notebook, but I have notebooks for just about anything. I always keep one with me, so if I come across something I want to make note of, I can easily write it down to reference later.

Keep your phone away from you.

As much as I try to live an old fashioned lifestyle, this is one area where I struggle. I’m sure you do, too! It’s even more difficult if you use social media or have apps tied to work on your device, like email. Whenever possible though, consider keeping your phone away from you. Believe me, boredom is a good thing. When you watch TV, keep your phone in the kitchen on airplane mode. When you go to bed, keep it downstairs (Fyi, actual alarm clocks do still exist). If you’re running errands, leave it in the car. Sitting in the waiting room for an appointment? Keep it at home and bring a book instead. Honestly, how often do you actually need the thing? Probably not as often as you truly do.

Spend time outdoors.

A great way to live an old fashioned lifestyle is to spend plenty of time outdoors. Spending just 10 to 30 minutes outside each day boosts Vitamin D levels and has been shown to improve mood. Getting it right as the sun is rising helps to regular your hormones and circadian rhythm. Before we became such an industrialized society, we spent much more time outdoors. Families gardened, did yard work, and partook in physical labor. Next time you’re tempted to scroll on your phone, step outside for a few minutes. You’ll feel so much better.

Start a garden to grow your own food.

This next old fashioned lifestyle idea may seem tricky if you live in a city or urbanized area. While you may not be able to grow an acre’s worth of food, you can still container garden. It’s a great way to get started if you don’t have much space. Even if you’re not ready for fruit or vegetables, you can even grow a few herbs. Eating food that you produced is such an amazing feeling. Check out these container garden products to get you started.

Raised gardening bed

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Container Gardener’s Handbook

Galvanized raised garden bed

Fabric raised garden bed

Find friends who have skills and barter with them.

Among my friends, the skills that they have include photography/photo editing, medical training, painting, sewing, and gardening. Not too many decades ago, bartering was common. Friends and families traded skills amongst each other, especially if they lived in remote/rural areas where access to products and services was limited. This old fashioned lifestyle idea seems to be making a comeback and it’s apparent why. If you have friends with amazing skills like mine, lean into that. If you have a skill, trade it for someone else’s. It’ll save you a lot of money and you’ll feel good about supporting your friends.

Learn how to cook from scratch.

Learning how to cook from scratch is not nearly as difficult as you think it might be. You don’t have to cook every meal from scratch to, well, cook from scratch. Even making one meal can make a big difference in your family’s health. Not only that, but it takes us back to a simpler time of grandparents, comfort, and nostalgia. I don’t know about you, but I think Sunday dinners need to be a thing again.

Learn how to can and preserve.

Once you have from scratch cooking down, then you can learn to can and preserve. If you grow your own food, preserving is a great way to make it last as long as possible. While it does take some time and resources to learn, it’s not hard at all. This video is a great place to start. Here are some items you’ll want to have on hand if you plan to can or preserve.

Canning pot w/ rack and lid

Pressure canner

Canning essentials set

Canning funnel

Jar lifter

Ball jelly jars

Ball 16 oz. regular mouth jars

Canning rings and lids

Teach yourself to bake bread and other baked goods.

If there is one skill I will be forever grateful to have perfected, it is baking. Not only is it useful for me, it’s useful for friends and family. It is my gift to them. Birthdays, new babies, parties, and events all include one or more of my baked goods. Beyond baking baked goods, bread baking is such an incredible skill to learn. Store bought bread is full of preservatives that make it unhealthy and honestly, just not good. Nothing tastes better than a fresh loaf of bread. The King Arthur Baking website is a great place to start. It has great recipes that are easy to follow and fail-proof.

Eat seasonally and buy your food locally.

If you grew up buying your food at the grocery store and still do, you might not understand what eating seasonally means. Berries are not always in season. In fact, in my home state of Pennsylvania, strawberries have about a three-week window for picking. Peaches are only available from the end of July until late September; and, if you’re not from Pennsylvania, New England, or Appalachia region, you probably have never heard of a black raspberry. Eating seasonally is important because seasonal foods contain more nutrients. It also helps to stimulate local economies when you purchase from local farms. Use the Seasonal Food Guide to help you determine what’s local in your area now.

Make your own cleaning products using simple ingredients.

Since my husband deployed a month ago, I have been going pretty hardcore on getting rid of the few toxic products that remain in our household. (This is an old fashioned lifestyle that surely anyone can get behind.) These included dishwasher pods, dryer sheets, and Clorox spray. I just purchased Blueland dishwasher tablets and toilet bowl tablets. Believe, there are some products you just need to buy. However, beyond that, I use ONE cleaner and it’s homemade! That’s it. I use it on my countertops, sinks, and even the mirrors. It’s one part water, one part distilled vinegar, and a few drops of essential oil. If you’re interested in homemade cleaner recipes, check out these recipes from Homesteading Family.

Pick up a new hobby and buy or rent a few books on the subject.

If you’re looking to impart an old fashioned lifestyle into your daily routine, then pick up a new hobby, preferably one that doesn’t involve screens. Here are some that come to mind: Reading, writing, journaling, playing an instrument, sewing, cooking and baking, gardening, crocheting, dollhouse making, painting or drawing, and calligraphy. The list is almost endless. For more old fashioned fun, pick up some books on the subject of your choosing. Your local library will be a great resource for this.

Host friends over for dinner or just to chat.

When was the last time you had someone over, whether it was for dinner or just coffee and dessert? Is it crazy to think this is considered old fashioned? When I was growing up, hosting and visiting were almost weekly occurrences. We visited cousins and friends or we had them over. Then, the adults would talk while us kids spent hours playing. These are some of my favorite memories. It seems like now the norm is to meet up at a coffee shop or restaurant. While this can be fun, there’s something so personal about hosting a friend or being invited to someone’s house. Let’s make this the norm again.

Sit on your porch during morning and evening.

I already mentioned the benefits of morning sunlight exposure, so this next old fashioned lifestyle idea is more about simply being old fashioned. Getting away from the stimulation of your home and out onto your porch can be quite soothing. It’s like a 10-minute vacation from life. For just a little while, problems don’t exist. It’s even more peaceful when you leave your phone inside, grab a book and read, or just sit.

Learn how to sew and mend your clothes.

Clothes get ruined, especially if you have children. With this in mind, learn some simple sewing techniques that you can do by hand. To mend clothes, you don’t need a machine, just thread, a needle, and button. It will help your clothes last longer and save you money. Lisa, from Farmhouse on Boone, even has a free online sewing series to get you started with the basics. So fun!

Take broken items to a local repair shop before buying a replacement.

I think most of us know that new items are created to not last long. Companies know we will just replace something when it breaks, so it’s almost their way of pushing us to buy an item sooner. Kitchen appliances can cost thousands and thousands of dollars. In our current economy, not many can afford to replace a fridge or oven every few years. Instead, consider getting appliances and smaller items repaired, as long as the cost is less than that of a replacement, of course. Also consider buying from good quality brands like Miele and KitchenAid.

Be frugal and curtail spending money on unneeded items.

Being frugal is one of the best ways to live an old fashioned lifestyle. I’m not telling you to never spend money, but I guarantee that you are probably spending needlessly. I’m certainly guilty of this. A major reason for this is influencer culture. We buy things we don’t even necessarily like, just because someone told us we should. The items we purchase are also usually made of poor quality materials and need to be replaced every few years. Instead, consider being content with what you have and spending less on unneeded items. When you do purchase something, think of it like a treat rather than a meal.

Reduce waste by using cloth and fabric instead of disposable items.

I do think it’s important to care about the environment that Lord has blessed us with. However, I’m not sure crazy environmentalist who reuses toilet paper. I don’t want to look that up to see if it’s a thing, but I’m sure it is. Anyway, paper products lead to a lot of waste. Paper itself breaks down in the environment, but most paper products we use are coated with plastic, mixed with other nonorganic materials, and bleached to make them appear white. Reduce waste by switching to reusable items. Switch from paper towels to dish clothes and use ceramic or porcelain plates instead of paper or Styrofoam. Linen napkins are a great substitute for paper – and they feel fancy.

Create a budget and stick to it.

This goes back to our conversation on needless spending. Many Americans don’t review their spending habits and also don’t have a budget. If you don’t, I highly suggest you start. Even just tracking your spending habits for a few months can give you a good idea of how much money you spend each month. The hardest part after creating to a budget is sticking to it. One thing that makes this a little easier to do is to review your spending on a weekly basis to see how much is left for the month. Use Dave Ramsey’s guide on how to budget to get you started.

Turn off electronics once the sun goes down.

This is one of my favorite ways to live an old fashioned lifestyle, even though I’m not always very good at it. Turning off screens when it starts to get dark is a great way to wind down for the evening and tell your brain it’s soon time for sleep. Reading by candlelight may take the cake for old fashioned charm.

Read a book instead of watching TV.

Closely related to our last topic is to read instead of watch TV…or Instagram reels…or TikTok videos. You brain could probably use a break from overstimulation and turning off screens for a little is a great way to do this. It’s a fun excuse to join a book club and start reading more. You don’t just have to read, though. You can also browse through magazines, write, or learn to play an instrument.

Go to bed early and rise early.

Did you know that early risers tend to be happier and more productive? This shouldn’t be a surprise. Our brains and bodies are wired and created by God to be productive during daylight. Not only that, but going to bed early has so many benefits, including getting better sleep. If you are struggling to go to bed but want to try, begin by going to bed just five or ten minutes earlier and move that time back a little earlier the next week. You’ll be waking up by 5 A.M. in no time!

Tell stories in person instead of sending them through text messages.

One of my favorite ways to live an old fashioned lifestyle is by not having social media. I’m away from drama, ads, and short-form videos. I also don’t see life updates every hour of the day. That way, I have more to catch up on with friends. It’s similar with texts. You can only say so much through a text message. Talking over the phone or in person goes a much longer way. Consider not posting updates on social media and waiting until you see your friends to give them your updates in person. I think it’s much more fun that way.

Write letters and send cards.

The last idea for living an old fashioned lifestyle is to write letters or send cards. Sure, it’s fun to get messages from friends on your birthday, but it’s even more fun to get a card in the mail. Having something to hold in your hand is much more personal than a text message that will easily be forgotten. Consider keeping a list of friends’ and family members’ birthdays and sending them a card the week of. You can get bulk sets of cards instead of spending $5 on a Hallmark card at the grocery store. Your friends and family members will love it!