If you were born in the 70s, chances are you don’t think twice about some of the habits you picked up along the way.
It’s almost like they’re baked into your DNA at this point—and sometimes, you don’t even notice them until someone younger points them out.
If you’ve ever found yourself defending your love for physical photo albums or eagerly pressing the “Record” button when a favorite song comes on the radio, this post is for you.
I was born in the late 70s myself, and I often laugh when my teenage son catches me in a moment of nostalgia—like the time he discovered I still keep a phone number list in my kitchen drawer.
In a world that’s become increasingly digital, these so-called “strange” habits can make us stand out. But in my view, they’re part of who we are.
So, let’s explore some classic behaviors from the 70s generation and why they probably feel completely normal to you.
I’ve thrown in a few psychological insights, quotes, and personal anecdotes along the way—because isn’t that what makes these reflections so much fun?
Let’s dive into eight habits that’ll take you back.
1. Making mixtapes and recording radio hits
Who else remembers sitting by the radio with a blank cassette tape, ready to hit “Record” the second your favorite song came on?
I remember anxiously waiting for the DJ to stop talking just so I could capture the song from start to finish without any interruptions.
Now, we’ve got playlists on Spotify or Apple Music, but back then, creating that perfect mixtape took time, patience, and a keen ear.
There’s something incredibly personal about physically making a mixtape—deciding on the track order, scribbling the playlist on that tiny paper insert, and decorating it with stickers.
While the mainstream may have gone digital, you might still have boxes of these gems in the attic, reminding you of your teenage years when your musical tastes lived on side A and side B.
2. Dialing landlines and memorizing phone numbers
If you were born in the 70s, you probably remember the thrill of waiting for a call on your home phone—or how about the experience of calling your friend’s house and having to chat politely with their parents first?
That’s something my son will never truly grasp, given that he and his friends pretty much communicate through texts and social media.
Memorizing phone numbers was also big back then. Today, it’s rare that anyone outside their immediate family’s contact list has more than a handful of numbers memorized.
But I can still recall my best friend’s number from primary school. There’s a sense of independence in not having to rely on a device to connect you with the world.
As Stephen Covey once noted, “Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions,” and I think this resonates well here.
We grew up without the luxury of smartphones, so we made the decision to manage those phone numbers ourselves—and that habit still feels normal to many of us.
3. Keeping a physical address book
Right alongside memorizing phone numbers is the treasured address book—usually something you tucked away in a drawer and guarded with your life.
If you were anything like me, you updated it meticulously every time someone changed apartments. Even now, I still have a dog-eared address book full of scribbles, crossed-out lines, and color-coded tabs.
Sure, digital contact lists are more convenient, but there’s something endearing about flipping through pages and seeing your friend’s handwriting.
I touched on this topic in one of my previous posts on organizing our lives (you might have read my post on mindful to-do lists), and I mentioned how pen-and-paper methods can make certain memories stick better.
And research backs this up. Various cognitive studies point to the fact that writing things down physically can help encode information in your brain more effectively than typing it out. No wonder many of us 70s babies still like doing it old-school.
4. Saving every leftover container (and possibly reusing tinfoil!)
Does your kitchen cupboard still have a stack of old margarine tubs or takeaway boxes that you’ve repurposed as Tupperware? If so, you’re not alone.
Growing up in the 70s, reusing containers was often just a practical family tradition. Waste not, want not, right? And who hasn’t rinsed and folded a piece of foil at least once to reuse it later?
There’s also a broader environmental conversation here. Back then, it wasn’t necessarily about being eco-friendly—it was just what you did to make the most of what you had.
However, I now see how it connects beautifully to modern sustainability efforts. Today’s zero-waste movement feels like a more polished version of what many of our parents taught us decades ago.
We might laugh when someone points out our stash of plastic tubs, but we’re also the first to say, “Hey, at least I’m not throwing them all out!”
5. Treasuring printed photos and albums
Raise your hand if you still have piles of photo albums in the closet. Yes, the heavy ones with sticky pages, plastic covers, and maybe even a dried rose or two tucked inside.
In an era where digital photos dominate, the idea of flipping through an actual photo album seems quaint—but if you were born in the 70s, it just feels right.
I still remember the thrill of picking up developed photographs from the local shop. There was always that anticipation: Did that vacation shot come out well, or did everyone have their eyes closed?
Nowadays, we can snap countless pictures on our phones, delete the bad ones instantly, and share the good ones on social media.
But those tangible photos hold memories in a way that a digital gallery can’t quite replicate. John C. Maxwell once said, “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.”
In the context of photos, it’s the small act of capturing a moment physically—over and over—that leads to a cherished timeline of our lives. And that consistency is something I appreciate even more the older I get.
6. Writing checks and balancing a checkbook
Yes, it still happens. If you were a 70s child, chances are you either watched your parents balancing a checkbook every month or started doing it yourself before you even had a proper job.
It may seem outdated in the age of direct debits and online banking, but there’s a sense of control in physically writing a check, documenting it in the register, and watching that balance carefully.
I used to hate math as a kid, but ironically, I loved balancing my checkbook. There was a methodical calmness to it—subtracting each expense, noting down any deposits, and making sure everything matched at the end of the month.
It’s a bit of a lost art in our digital world. However, clinging to that old-school process reminds me to stay aware of my spending.
7. Sending handwritten letters (or thank you cards)
There was a time when letter-writing wasn’t just for the holidays. Many of us wrote letters to pen pals, relatives, or even celebrities (no, just me?).
If you were born in the 70s, the habit of sending a note in the mail might still resonate with you. I find it charming to take the time to handwrite a birthday card or a thank-you note, even if it means dealing with stamps and a trip to the post box.
Plus, there’s something personal about seeing someone’s handwriting on paper. It carries an emotional weight that texting just can’t replicate.
I have a small box in my closet dedicated to letters from friends and family members who’ve since passed away.
Reading them brings me back to the moment, reminds me of their voices, and keeps their memory alive in a way that’s deeply comforting. In a world of immediate digital communication, waiting for a letter can still be a sweet thrill.
8. Clinging to the nostalgia of VHS and VCRs
Last but definitely not least, let’s talk about VHS tapes. Remember the excitement of popping in a rented video, praying nobody forgot to rewind it first?
Going to the video rental store was a highlight of the weekend—an event in itself. You’d stroll the aisles looking for that perfect movie, maybe buy some popcorn on the way out, and hurry home to watch it on the family TV.
Even though DVDs and Blu-rays have mostly phased out VHS, you might still hold onto a collection of old tapes in a dusty box.
I’ll admit, I keep one or two around simply for nostalgic reasons—like my ancient copy of a comedy special that I just can’t part with.
It feels like a physical time capsule, a piece of my history that’s worth preserving. For many of us 70s kids, the act of physically handling a tape is tied to cherished memories of simpler times.
Wrapping up
Whether it’s rewinding tapes, memorizing phone numbers, or juggling paper bills in our wallets, these habits can look downright bizarre to anyone who didn’t grow up in the 70s. But to us, they’re just part of our normal.
We’re shaped by the era we were raised in, carrying forward traditions and quirks that formed our day-to-day routine back then.
Here at DM News, I love exploring the ways our early influences continue to echo through our adult lives.
After all, these so-called “strange” habits can reveal a lot about our values, like resourcefulness (reusing every container) or cherishing the tangible (photo albums and handwritten letters).
While the world moves on, we’ve kept a piece of that analog spirit alive—and there’s something genuinely comforting about that.
If anything on this list made you smile, cringe, or feel a rush of nostalgia, it’s a sign you’re in good company.
Embrace these throwback habits if they still work for you, and don’t be afraid to tweak them for today’s digital world. Growth doesn’t mean leaving everything behind; sometimes, it’s about weaving the old and the new together, making life that much richer.
