21 habits that prove you’re a boomer
The way we use (or fail to use) our tech is a sure-fire indicator of the generations – so which “boomerisms” are you guilty of?
The way we think about getting older has changed over the past few decades. New descriptors such as “midlife” and “young adult”, as well as the increased prominence of strict generational divides “millennial”, “Gen Z” and, of course, “baby boomer”, have changed the way we perceive our age.
Endless culture war discourse, pitting young against old, has made us forget just how fluid the ageing process can be.
To give an example, the hit 1980s American sitcom The Golden Girls focused on a cast of elderly single women who were very much in their twilight years. In 2022, And Just Like That…, a follow-up to Sex And The City, premiered, focusing on a cast of midlife women who were still working, earning and having plenty of sex. The main characters in each series were 55, showing just how much our idea of “old” has changed.
However, there are still areas where your age can start showing if you’re not careful. We asked under-30s what they consider signs of “boomerism” and how they do things differently…
Texting with one finger
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If you’re holding your phone in one hand and using one finger of the other to type on your phone’s keyboard, that’s a sure sign you’re a baby boomer. Young people either hold the phone in both hands and text with their thumbs, or balance the phone on their little finger and type with the thumb of the same hand - yielding quicker results.
Trying to pay with coins to park the car
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Do you have a change purse specifically for when you come to park your car? That’s a sign you’re a boomer. In 2024, young people pay for parking with an app on their smartphone. All well and good, unless you’re parking at a beauty spot in the countryside without phone reception…
Owning a cheque book
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Many well-meaning parents and grandparents will pull out their cheque book for a relative’s birthday or Christmas present, but the truth is many young people have no idea what to do with these slips of paper. The decline of high-street banking meant, until recently, that cheques could never be banked. Nowadays banking apps enable us to scan photos of cheques and cash them virtually, but it’s still a convoluted process.
Using Facebook and not TikTok
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While it used to be the case that young adults would spend hours a day scrolling through Facebook, even having an account nowadays is considered cringeworthy. Findings from Savanta’s State of the Youth Nation Tracker earlier this year found that while 17% of British people “loved” Facebook, only 3% of Gen Z did. In contrast, TikTok usage is surging, with 47% of Gen Z saying they use it multiple times per day.
Miming a phone call
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Imagine you want to indicate to someone that you’ll give them a call. If you raise a thumb to your ear and point your little finger out, that’s boomer behaviour. Young people who’ve grown up without landlines and those fiddly speakers and receivers simply hold a flattened hand to their ear, like a smartphone.
Printing tickets/boarding passes for planes
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Perhaps it’s a marker of our relative trust in technology. If you’re the type who carefully prints off boarding passes, theatre tickets, or - God forbid - road maps, rather than trusting your phone to deal with it all, then you’re probably a boomer. If you’re storing all these documents in plastic wallets then there’s no helping you.
Tipping the delivery driver
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Harkening back to the days where takeaway delivery was paid on arrival rather than during the ordering process, having some cash for the delivery driver is a sign you’re a boomer. Young people may offer a small tip on whatever app they used to order, but don’t count on it.
Sending/expecting to receive thank you cards
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These days the sending of thank you notes after birthdays or Christmas isn’t de rigeur. It’s not that we’re ungrateful, it’s just we express it at the time rather than afterwards.
Not wearing sunscreen
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According to the British Skin Foundation, we should be wearing sunscreen practically any time we go outside. However, boomers haven’t taken this message to heart, especially the men. According to a survey by the organisation, 45% of over-50s admitted to not using sunscreen at all, even in summer.
Opening a car window
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You pull up to the traffic lights and, lo and behold, there’s your friend in the car next to you. “Roll down your window for a chat”, you want to gesture. If you’re frantically winding the air, you’re a boomer. Gen Z simply jab the air beside them to indicate an electric window switch.
Turning the internet off
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If you’re the type of person who turns off the Wi-Fi, you’re almost certainly a boomer. The savings you make from doing so are minimal. According to Which?, households only save about £20 ($42.54) a year by turning off their appliances instead of leaving them on standby.
Texting in general (ellipses at the end of texts, replying ‘Ok’)
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There are almost too many strange boomer texting habits to name. Many choose to end clauses with random ellipses (is it to create a sense of intrigue…?). Or perhaps you’re the type who desperately needs to get the last word in, by responding “Ok” to text messages. Or do you illustrate every message with emojis? (For example: “I am in a traffic jam 🚗🚗🚗 and will be late 🕙 to get home 🏠 tonight 🌆”.) Young people have their own text-based neuroses: use of exclamation marks entirely too frequently to convey upbeat attitudes and enthusiasm; correct usage of fullstops strikes fear into the heart of an under-30, leading them to believe they’ve done something to anger or offend.
Ringtones/keyboard/camera noise
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While young people might be glued to their phones, they take a “seen and not heard” approach. You’ll never meet an under-30 with a ringtone any louder than a subtle vibration. As for all the other noises that phones make; keyboard tapping sounds, camera shutter noises, text alert pings; turning them off is vital if you don’t want to seem like a has-been.
Caring about self check-outs and QR codes on restaurant menus
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If you’re expending your energy to get angry about these things, you’re probably a boomer. Young people are so used to technology speeding things along while shopping or dining, they don’t even think about it.
Being bad at taking selfies
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Taking a selfie is one of the clearest means of working out which generation you’re from. If you never do it at all, you’re probably a boomer. If you have a thumb in the shot, or you’re looking at your screen rather than the camera, you’re Gen X. If you use the inner camera, you’re a millennial. If you’re turning your whole phone around to use the outer camera flawlessly, you’re Gen Z.
Having a landline phone
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They’ve become obsolete. If you can’t reach a young person on their mobile phone, give up. The only use under-30s have for landlines is kitschy aesthetic value.
Turning your phone landscape to take a picture
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While film, television, and computer screens have conditioned older generations to think of visuals in terms of widescreen formats, young people are much happier snapping and filming vertically. As more and more of our media is consumed via mobile phones, expect to see more major films optimised to be displayed vertically.
Being able to find something to watch on TV without planning
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With the rise of countless online streaming services, there’s no reason for young people to watch anything “because it’s on”. If you can switch on the TV and find yourself happily watching The One Show or an old episode of Top Gear, you’re probably a boomer.
Keeping a paper diary
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Replaced entirely by iCal and Google Calendar, don’t expect to see a young person scheduling appointments in a physical book. Even so, W.H. Smith need not panic just yet. Diaries have found a new lease of life among the young as a mindfulness technique.
Holding on to paperwork for years ‘just in case’
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Do you have a drawer full of old council tax bills, notifications from energy suppliers, and ancient receipts? If so, you’re probably a boomer. Email receipts, online accounts, and smartphone apps have rendered such things unnecessary.
Taking photos with an iPad
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For many boomers, owning an iPad came before owning a smartphone, hence the best camera you owned may have been more associated with your tablet than your mobile. Times have changed, though. The camera on your iPad is purely ceremonial: the most recent edition of the device has a 12-megapixel camera, four times less powerful than that of the latest iPhone.
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How to make Christmas dinner for four people for less than $100
Christmas dinner is supposed to be joyful, celebratory – yet seems to have quietly become one of the season’s more stressful undertakings. Even households that keep things modest can feel the pinch when supermarket prices creep up and festive expectations stay high. Yet it’s entirely possible to serve a generous, properly festive meal for four for under $100, without resorting to packet gravy, instant stuffing or anything that tastes like compromise.
This is a menu that feels like Christmas, looks abundant and uses ordinary supermarket ingredients treated well. It slots comfortably under $100 across Pak’nSave, Woolworths and New World, and includes easy swaps for fussy households, clever ways to use what you already have, and simple ideas for making the table look special without spending extra.
A chic seafood starter
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Seafood is an elegant way to open a meal and, when you choose cleverly, one of the most cost-effective.
Mussels in white wine, garlic and cream are a standout. At around $5-$7 a kilo, they offer enormous impact for very little money. Steam them with garlic, a splash of the wine you’re already serving and a touch of cream, then finish with lemon and herbs. Tip them into a large serving bowl and let everyone help themselves. It feels summery, generous and unmistakably festive.
If mussels aren’t universally adored in your household, a refined prawn cocktail is the perfect alternative. Frozen prawns, thawed and tossed in a homemade Marie Rose sauce (mayo, ketchup, lemon juice, paprika), look instantly polished when served in cocktail glasses or small bowls with a few herbs scattered over. It’s retro chic. Or skewer prawns, flavoured with whatever you have – garlic butter, sweet chilli, paprika …
A chicken that looks genuinely festive
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Turkey and ham have their devotees, but a whole chicken remains the most economical centrepiece for four. Prices vary from around $9 to $14 depending on the supermarket, and with a little attention it can look and taste like a genuine showstopper.
The simplest, most effective way to make it feel special is a bacon lattice. Lay streaky bacon strips over the breast in a loose criss-cross. As it cooks, the bacon bastes the bird, crisps beautifully and infuses the pan juices with the savoury depth you’d normally associate with Christmas ham. Slide a garlic and herb butter under the skin first, tuck halved lemons or oranges around the tray and roast until the bacon is bronzed and the chicken deeply aromatic. The whole thing looks far more expensive than it is.
For households who prefer something quicker-cooking or more “chef-y”, a butterflied chicken is an excellent alternative. It cooks evenly, the skin goes crisp, and you can work flavoured butter into every nook.
Once the chicken is done, make a proper pan gravy from the roasting dish. Add a spoon of flour, a splash of wine or water and whisk until glossy. A little mustard or a touch of cream turns it into something quietly luxurious.
Sides that stretch the meal and brighten the table
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Vegetables are where you create generosity without driving up the bill, and they bring much of the colour and fragrance that make a meal feel celebratory.
Rosemary roast potatoes are non-negotiable. Use the rosemary you bought for the chicken, coat the potatoes well in oil and roast until crisp at the edges.
Honey-orange carrots bring warmth, sweetness and scent. Roast sliced carrots with a little honey and finish with orange zest from the fruit already in your tray.
Minted butter peas prove that frozen vegetables can be elegant. A toss with butter, salt, lemon zest and mint is enough to lift them.
Pavlova, but zhuzhed
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Pavlova is almost mandatory at a New Zealand Christmas, but the trick is to treat it in a way that feels fresh.
A layered pavlova fool is the easiest way to elevate a bought base. Break it into shards, then layer it in a glass bowl with vanilla whipped cream, tinned peaches, mint and a handful of toasted nuts. It looks far more considered than a single pav on a plate, and it stretches further too. Making individual portions in small glasses adds a restaurant-style flourish without increasing the spend.
If you find frozen berries in the freezer – most households have a bag tucked away – blitz them with a little icing sugar to make a glossy sauce to pour over the top. It adds colour and acidity without the budget-pushing price of fresh berries.
For adults, a quick affogato is an elegant “second dessert” if you have vanilla ice cream in the freezer and some coffee on hand. An old bottle of Cointreau, brandy or Kahlua lurking adds a decadent splash. A scoop of ice cream drowned in hot coffee and, if you have it, a dash of whatever liqueur you have on hand feels like an indulgence, yet costs nothing extra.
The savings hidden in your garden and pantry
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Before you shop, check what you already have. December is the moment when gardens and pantries quietly come into their own.
Herbs first. Rosemary thrives almost everywhere at this time of year, thyme is forgiving and mint has a habit of taking over. Lemons linger on trees in much of the North Island, and even one fruit can provide zest for chicken, peas and carrots. Borrowing a sprig of rosemary or a lemon from a neighbour is well within the bounds of festive generosity.
Then survey the pantry. A single can of chickpeas can be roasted with smoked paprika for a crunchy nibble. Nuts and seeds can be toasted and sprinkled over vegetables or folded into pavlova layers. Olives whizz into tapenade. Anchovies melt into flavoured butter for potatoes. Breadcrumbs toasted in butter and garlic add crunch to almost anything.
Your freezer is likely to be just as useful. Bread ends become crostini, berries become sauce and peas become a side dish. Ice cream turns into affogato. Using these odds and ends often keeps the supermarket bill tens of dollars lower.
A stylish table without extra spending
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A festive table doesn’t require a last-minute shopping spree. A few sprigs of rosemary down the centre of the table make an instant garland. Citrus slices in a jug of water double as decoration and refreshment. Plain napkins tied with old ribbon look thoughtful. Jam jars with candles provide atmosphere. The principle is simple: arrange what you have with intention.
The final tally
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Across all major supermarket chains, this menu – seafood starter, bacon-latticed chicken with sides, pavlova fool and even a simple affogato – reliably comes in between $70 and $90 depending on specials. It’s generous, flavourful and unmistakably festive. Most importantly, nobody at the table will guess where the savings were made. A feast for four for under $100, without the compromise.
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Poll: Are our Kiwi summer holidays helping us recharge, or holding the economy back? ☀️🥝
There’s growing debate about whether New Zealand’s extended Christmas break (and the slowdown that comes with it) affects productivity.
Tracy Watkins has weighed in ... now it’s your turn. What’s your take? 🤔
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72.9% We work hard, we deserve a break!
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16.1% Hmm, maybe?
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11% Yes!
Celebrate in Style: Craft Your Own Decor with Testpots
Create handcrafted celebrations using Resene testpots. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
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