10 things Boomers still pay for that everyone else gets for free

The first time I noticed the generation gap wasn’t at Thanksgiving. It was at a shipping store. A man ahead of me was overnighting a stack of signed forms that could have been scanned in ten seconds and emailed for free.

He wasn’t wrong—he was paying for certainty. But the world has changed the price of certainty. I ran restaurants for years; margins teach you to love free.

Plenty of Boomers still pay for things the rest of us have quietly replaced with no-cost options. This isn’t a dunk. It’s a translation guide—and a nudge to keep money in your pocket for the things that actually deserve it.

Below are ten common pay-traps, and the free (or nearly free) ways to get the same outcome—without losing dignity or convenience.

1. Cable bundles and “premium” channels

Cable feels safe. One bill, a million channels, a familiar remote. But the average viewer watches a handful of networks and ignores the rest. Meanwhile, the internet is full of FAST services (free, ad-supported TV) and official network apps that stream news, sports highlights, and prestige shows with sponsor breaks. Add a $25 digital antenna and you get local channels in HD for a one-time cost.

What to do instead: combine a basic internet plan with a free streaming app or two, then layer on a single paid service for the month you actually want a show—cancel after the finale. It’s the “a la carte” dinner you wished cable offered.

2. Long-distance plans and landlines

Boomers came up in the era when calling across states was a billable event. Habits stick. But Wi-Fi calling is built into smartphones. FaceTime, WhatsApp, Google Meet, and Signal all do voice and video over the internet… for free. You can chat with a cousin in Osaka like they live down the block, and the call quality often beats old copper.

What to do instead: keep a basic mobile plan, turn on Wi-Fi calling at home, and move family calls to a free app. If you want a “house phone,” buy a $30 speakerphone, pair it to your cell, and park it on the kitchen counter.

3. Checking account fees, paper statements, and ATM surcharges

Paying your bank for the privilege of housing your money is like tipping a vending machine. Many Boomer-era accounts still charge monthly maintenance, paper statement fees, and ATM “out of network” penalties that nibble away at savings. Digital banks (and plenty of old-school ones if you ask) offer no-fee checking, free e-statements, and large ATM reimbursement networks.

What to do instead: ask your current bank to switch you to a fee-free account. If they balk, move. Set statements to email. Use your bank’s ATM finder or take cash back at the grocery store for free. Your future self will not miss the paper.

4. Photo prints, DVDs, and “memory media”

I love physical photos. I keep a few on the fridge like talismans. But paying to print every shot—or worse, paying a store to burn your digital album to a DVD—makes 2025 cry softly. Cloud albums are free up to generous limits, phones AirDrop images in seconds, and smart TVs display slideshows straight from your device. You can make grandma’s birthday slideshow without buying a single disc.

What to do instead: curate an album on your phone, share a link with family, and cast to the TV. Print ten great photos a quarter and frame them. Meaning beats volume. Your living room doesn’t need 600 prints to feel loved.

5. GPS devices and paper map books

I remember glove compartments stuffed with atlases with the authority of scripture. Today, Apple Maps and Google Maps are free, update traffic in real time, and download offline maps so spotty service doesn’t strand you. Dedicated GPS units still exist, but their updates and map subscriptions are a quiet tax on your patience.

What to do instead: download your route before you drive. If you love redundancy, print a one-page list of turns as backup. Retire the spiral-bound road bible. Your dashboard wants to breathe.

6. Tech support subscriptions and in-person “tune-ups”

There’s an industry devoted to charging you for mystery fixes: antivirus you don’t need on a Mac, “registry cleaners,” and “PC optimization” upsells that are glorified settings toggles. Meanwhile, YouTube and official support forums walk you through real solutions step by step—for free—often from the exact brand you own.

What to do instead: before paying, search the exact error message. Watch a top-rated 3-minute tutorial. Use built-in security, keep software updated, and run the occasional free malware scan from a reputable vendor if you’re on Windows. Your wallet and your system will both run cooler.

During a lunch lull, I watched a regular hand over $149 at a big-box store to “speed up” a perfectly fine laptop. They disabled startup apps and ran system updates—stuff my dishwasher could handle.

We sat after service, opened Settings, and did the same in five minutes. He laughed, then promised to tip my cooks instead next time. Not every fix is DIY, but many are—especially the routine ones that sound fancy and aren’t.

7. Ringtones, voicemail add-ons, and text packages

Once upon a flip phone, ringtones cost $1.99 and voicemail transcription was a luxury. Now your smartphone lets you create a custom ringtone from a song you already own, and visual voicemail is standard on most plans. Messaging? iMessage, WhatsApp, and Signal move texts, photos, and videos over Wi-Fi for free. Paying for “extra texts” is a tax from 2007.

What to do instead: set your own tones in Settings, turn on visual voicemail, and route picture-heavy chats through a free app when you’re on Wi-Fi. Your bill will slim down without your life shrinking.

8. Money orders, cashier’s checks, and personal checks for everything

There are still legit reasons to use a cashier’s check (closing on a house) or a money order (certain landlords). But writing checks for every bill and paying $5 for each money order is a slow-drip expense. Most utilities, HOAs, and small landlords accept free ACH bank transfers, and person-to-person payments happen instantly with Zelle or equivalent—often baked into your bank at no cost.

What to do instead: ask vendors what no-fee digital options they accept. Keep one book of checks for edge cases. For rent with old-school folks, propose ACH with a receipt email. You’ll save time, stamps, and a little of your soul.

9. Newsstand magazines, basic cookbooks, and pay-per-article sites

I love print. I subscribe to a few outlets because journalism is a public service, and good writers deserve to eat. But a surprising number of people still buy individual magazines at airports or pay to unlock a single recipe when they could borrow the whole back catalog from the public library, for free, on an iPad. Most libraries offer digital access to major newspapers, magazines, and cookbook databases. It’s the best deal left in America.

What to do instead: get a library card. Download the library’s reading apps. Check out magazines, cookbooks, and newspapers digitally. Keep one or two paid subs you truly love, and replace the impulse purchases with free loans. You’ll read more and spend less.

10. Printing, faxing, and overnighting forms

This is the one that started my rant. Many Boomers still fax, print, and overnight paperwork out of muscle memory. But e-signing is legally recognized, scan apps turn your phone into a PDF machine, and secure upload portals are standard. If a doctor’s office demands a fax, your local library or shipping store can send it for a few bucks—fine. But most institutions now accept a clean photo or PDF.

What to do instead: install a free scan app, sign with your finger, save as PDF, and email or upload. For signatures that must be “wet,” sign once, scan, and keep the file. You’ll save $40 and a trip across town every time a form sneezes.

Why Boomers still pay—and why it makes sense (until it doesn’t)

I get it. Paying often buys a feeling, not just a service: certainty, paper in your hand, a human on the line, the comfort of tradition. I’m a late-thirties ex-restaurateur; I still prefer a printed prep list to a tablet during a rush. But prices rise and technology gets friendlier. The smart move is to keep the feeling and change the method.

Try this reframe: you’re not “cheap” for using the free option. You’re paying yourself first with the savings. Then you spend where it matters—great shoes, a better mattress, dinner with the people who make Tuesdays worth living.

How to make the switch without tech headaches

One swap at a time. Cancel cable this month; tackle bank fees next.

Write a “new way” index card. “Fax → scan app + email,” “Checks → ACH,” “Long-distance → WhatsApp.” Tape it inside a kitchen cabinet.

Use the library like a millionaire. Classes, tech help, e-books, magazines, even 3D printers—free.

Recruit one helper. A tech-savvy friend or a patient grandkid earns dinner and the right to brag.

Keep a paper plan for edge cases. One box of checks, a $10 book of stamps, a single folder with your “wet signature” forms. Prepared, not stuck in 1998.

Final thoughts

This isn’t about shaming anyone for liking what they like.

It’s about aligning habit with reality so your money serves your life, not outdated systems. Cable when free streaming exists. Long-distance plans when Wi-Fi calling is flawless. Bank fees when no-fee accounts are standard. Printed photos and DVDs when cloud albums make sharing effortless.

GPS units when your phone knows the road. Paid tech “tune-ups” when five minutes on YouTube fixes the thing. Ringtones, checks, newsstand splurges, overnighted forms—each has a free cousin that gets you the same result with less friction and fewer fees.

Keep the parts of the past that still sing: dinner at a table, good shoes, a handwritten note. Let the rest update. You’ll save thousands over a year without feeling deprived for a day. The money you used to spend on paper, plastic, and habit can go to a flight, a class, or a really excellent bottle you open with people you love. That’s the point. Not penny-pinching. Reallocating toward joy.