1. Wearing Real Pants at Home
This one’s funny because it’s so recent—and so relatable. When remote work exploded in 2020, Americans quietly traded in jeans and slacks for sweatpants, leggings, and pajamas, Abha Bhattarai of The Washington Post explains. Now, even as life has returned to a new normal, the home wardrobe hasn’t quite gone back to “real clothes.”
Apparel sales data shows loungewear is still dominating the market, especially for work-from-home employees. We act like we’ll change before a Zoom call, but let’s be honest—most of the time we don’t. No one’s officially declared, “I don’t wear pants at home anymore.” But stretchy waistbands are winning, and we all know it.
2. Landline Phones
Remember the sound of a busy signal? Most Americans don’t, at least not anymore, according to David Hambling of The Guardian. Landline phones have become relics of the past, even though many households still technically have them bundled with internet or cable. The funny thing is, no one really uses them—they just sit there, unplugged or dusty, in some corner.
The switch to cell phones happened so gradually that we hardly noticed we stopped using landlines altogether. Now, 73% of American adults live in wireless-only households, and that number keeps growing. But no one ever made a grand announcement about it—we just kind of let the dial tone fade away. And really, when was the last time you actually gave someone your “home phone” number?
3. Writing Checks
There was a time when writing a check at the grocery store was totally normal—maybe even expected. Now, pulling out a checkbook in public feels like whipping out a rotary phone, Andrew Van Dam of The Washington Post explains. Digital payments, mobile banking, and auto-bill pay have made checks nearly obsolete for daily use.
Still, checks haven’t vanished completely; they’re just hiding out in the back of drawers for emergencies or rent payments. Most Americans haven’t formally said goodbye—they just stopped reaching for the checkbook. In 2022, paper check use had dropped to less than 7% of all payment methods. And yet, nobody really says, “I don’t write checks anymore.” We just… don’t.
4. Ironing Clothes
Ironing was once part of the morning routine—neatly pressed shirts and creased slacks were a sign of professionalism. But somewhere along the way, we collectively decided “wrinkle-free” was close enough. Casual wear and stretchy fabrics have taken over, and irons are gathering dust in closets across the country, Melissa Locker of Southern Living explains.
In fact, the global market for irons has been shrinking, with North America seeing some of the steepest declines. We’ve embraced wrinkle-resistant materials and tossed the ironing board in favor of quick steamer sprays or a spin in the dryer. Yet no one admits they’ve abandoned the practice—they just quietly let it fade away. If anything, the pandemic’s loungewear boom put the final nail in ironing’s coffin.
5. Using Voicemail
Once considered a crucial tool for staying connected, voicemail now feels more like an annoyance. Most people see a missed call and shoot a text instead of ever listening to the message. Millennials and Gen Z in particular are known for avoiding voicemail like the plague, and even older generations are joining in.
Visual voicemail, transcriptions, and messaging apps have made the old system feel clunky and outdated. According to several telecom reports, voicemail usage has dropped dramatically in the past decade. But despite this shift, most of us still technically have voicemail set up—we just never use it. It’s the digital equivalent of letting the answering machine blink endlessly.
6. Wearing Watches (for Time)
Watches used to be a necessity, not just a fashion statement. But in the smartphone era, the need to check your wrist for the time has mostly disappeared. Most people now glance at their phone for everything—time, calendar, weather, even alarms.
Sales of traditional watches have declined, especially among younger consumers, while smartwatches have carved out a niche for fitness tracking and notifications. Still, many people wear watches more for the style than the utility. We don’t often say, “I stopped using my watch to check the time,” because we kind of act like we never did. But that glance at the wrist? It’s now just for show.
7. Home-Cooked Breakfasts
There’s something nostalgic about a big home-cooked breakfast: eggs, bacon, toast, maybe pancakes on the side. But most Americans now opt for a granola bar, protein shake, or skipping breakfast altogether. Our fast-paced lifestyles—and changing dietary habits—just don’t leave room for daily stove time in the morning.
According to the NPD Group, breakfast is increasingly consumed on-the-go, with fewer people cooking from scratch at home. Weekend brunch might still be a thing, but the weekday breakfast table has gone quiet. Yet we don’t talk about it much—we just rush out the door with coffee in hand. The smell of sizzling bacon has been replaced with the beep of a microwave.
8. Formal Dinner Parties
Once a hallmark of suburban social life, formal dinner parties have largely disappeared from American culture. Sure, we still gather for meals, but the multi-course, place-setting, “break out the good china” kind of evenings are rare. Potlucks, casual hangs, or takeout gatherings have become the new norm.
Some of it is due to time and money, but part of it is a cultural shift toward informality. Entertaining has become more about comfort than presentation. The charcuterie board replaced the roast beef entrée, and no one seems to miss the stress of centerpieces and folded napkins. But ask someone about hosting a “dinner party,” and they’ll likely laugh—it’s just not a thing anymore.
9. Printing Photos
There was a time when getting film developed was a weekend errand—and photo albums were treasured keepsakes. Now, most of our pictures live in the cloud or on our phones, never seeing physical form. Despite easier-than-ever options for printing photos, the majority of us just don’t bother.
According to Kodak and other print services, photo printing has dropped significantly over the last two decades. Digital convenience has replaced the tactile joy of flipping through a photo book. Still, no one really admits, “I don’t print photos anymore.” We just post them on Instagram and move on.
10. Having a Newspaper Subscription
The thud of a morning paper hitting the driveway used to be a daily ritual. Now, over 80% of Americans get their news digitally, and print newspaper circulation is at its lowest in recorded history. Subscriptions have plummeted as people turn to social media, apps, and email digests.
While some still subscribe for nostalgia or crossword puzzles, most Americans let their paper subscriptions lapse years ago without fanfare. Newspapers haven’t completely disappeared, but they’ve certainly faded into the background. And yet, no one really talks about it—it’s as if the paper just stopped showing up one day, and we barely noticed.
11. Balancing a Checkbook
For decades, balancing a checkbook was drilled into every adult as a key financial skill. But in the age of digital banking, the ritual of manually tracking every transaction is nearly extinct. Most banks now offer real-time balance updates, fraud alerts, and transaction histories that make checkbook balancing seem archaic.
Despite this, the habit of balancing a checkbook hasn’t been formally declared dead—it’s just quietly faded from everyday life. Few younger adults have ever done it, and older generations have mostly stopped. You don’t hear anyone say, “I don’t balance my checkbook anymore”—they just stopped seeing the need.
12. Keeping Business Cards
Handing over a business card once symbolized professionalism and networking etiquette. Now, it’s more likely to get tossed in a drawer (or trash can) while people connect via LinkedIn or exchange contact info via smartphone. The pandemic accelerated the decline, as in-person events dropped and digital contact-sharing rose.
While business cards haven’t vanished entirely, their relevance is hanging by a thread. People still get them printed, but mostly out of habit or for specific industries. Most of the time, they sit unused in wallets or desk drawers, as if we’re pretending they still matter. No one says, “I’ve stopped using business cards,” but the silence speaks volumes.
13. Shopping Malls
Shopping malls used to be central to American culture—teens hung out there, families strolled on weekends, and holidays meant packed parking lots. But the rise of online shopping and big-box convenience stores has led to thousands of malls closing or being repurposed. The decline started years ago, but the pandemic gave it a major push.
Many malls are now ghost towns, with empty storefronts and echoing food courts. Even those that are still open don’t draw crowds like they used to. Yet few people outright admit they don’t go to the mall anymore—they just stopped making the trip. The mall experience faded into nostalgia without a goodbye.
14. Cable TV
Once a staple in nearly every household, cable television has been quietly slipping into obscurity. While cord-cutting was once seen as a fringe decision, the numbers now speak volumes: over 55 million U.S. households are expected to be without traditional pay TV by the end of 2025. Despite this dramatic shift, no one really talks about how completely we’ve let go of flipping through channels. Streaming has taken over without much mourning for the old days of cable boxes and scheduled programming.
Part of the quiet exit may be tied to how seamlessly streaming filled the gap. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube TV made it easy to ditch the hefty cable bills and still keep up with shows. Add in the lack of commercials and on-demand access, and it’s no surprise cable was left in the dust. But ask someone if they’ve given up cable, and they might just shrug like it was never even a thing.
