What quirky or outdated habits do your older relatives hang on to? – 17 ways of living that people simply can’t let go

We all have our weird quirks that are hard to let go. Perhaps you still rock an iPod, or maybe you have the good sense to still buy physical media instead of streaming.

As time goes on though, these odd habits can seem even more bizarre to younger people. This prompted britmatty to turn to r/AskReddit and ask users to share the quirk, outdated habits that their friends and relatives still hang onto. And they even got the ball rolling with their own suggestion:

‘To this day my elderly uncle uses highlighter pens on the addresses of birthday and Xmas card envelopes.

‘Why? Because “the nice people at the post office sorting depot will spot them quicker, so they’re more likely to deliver them on time”.’

Hold onto your onion belts (which were the style at the time), here are the top replies…

1.

‘Racism.’
-Trilobite_Tom

2.

‘Signing ‘love mum’ at the end of every text. Every. Single. Text. Doesn’t matter if it’s a 20 message back and forth conversation. Adorable.’
-yodellingposey

3.

‘Company loyalty.

‘Tried explaining that it is a dated concept to my 81 year old FIL. He can’t get his head round the fact that employees don’t have it anymore or that you would look for another job to better your pay and condition.’
-Thinkinstuf

4.

‘My parents leave half a cm or so of tea undrunk at the bottom of every cup from the days when only loose leaf was available, so they didn’t drink the bits of leaf that got through the strainer 🙂 even though they switched to bags decades ago!’
-CalmClient7

5.

‘My grandad still asks us to check the football scores on Ceefax when he comes over. My brother just pulls up the BBC sports app, but we all call it Ceefax.

‘My godmother wouldn’t put water in her iron because “it’s dangerous to mix water and electricity” (she did eventually switch to an electric kettle though).

‘My dad made us all learn how to read physical maps and orient ourselves when out and about. He was convinced one day the Chinese government would take out all the satellites and therefore GPS. Tbh, it seemed crazy at the time but now I feel like it’s something Elon might do, and it is a useful skill to have.’
-LoudComplex0692

6.

‘My father still believes the best way to job search is to confidently stride into any workplace, hiring or not, with a CV in hand and ask for the manager. Then look him in the eye and give him a firm handshake, inform him you are looking for employment and offer him your CV. “It shows enthusiasm and a strong work ethic!” He says.

‘I’ve tried to explain that world doesn’t exist anymore and it’s a very good way to get yourself blacklisted.’
-Fantastic_Lake_9088

7.

‘Weird one from my grandmother: working out bills in the old imperial money. It’s half the reason that I know what a shilling or guinea is.’
-MatthiasGould592

8.

‘Until her death this year, my Nan always used to read out her telephone number when picking up the phone.’
-another_awkward_brit

9.

‘My grandmother, long gone now, used to insist on plugging something IN to every socket before bed. She seemed convinced that electricity was some sort of heavier-than-air gas that would drip out and fill the rooms, and would invisibly poison us during the night.’
-Ickham-museum