People Are Sharing The Outdated Or Obsolete Technology They Still Use Regularly Because It Suits Their Wants And Lives

Recently, I wrote a post about a viral Reddit thread where people shared the outdated technology they still use because they simply prefer it and, in some cases, think it's better than newer tech.

the headline for the article
BuzzFeed

Well, the post unexpectedly also got a lot of comments from BuzzFeed readers. So I decided to roundup some of those comments into a brand-new post.

view 144 comments
BuzzFeed

Below are the best comments, along with new comments from the original Reddit thread:

1."I still burn CDs. My car only has a CD player, and it's just easier and less distracting to just pop in a CD instead of fiddling with my phone and Bluetooth."

cd going in a cd-rom
Blackred / Getty Images

2."CAR KEYS...the remote start thing makes me so anxious. I'm dreading the day I need a new vehicle and keyless start is the only option."

set of keys
Chimpinski / Getty Images/iStockphoto

3."Not really tech. Just not using it. I still handwrite a shopping list to take to the store with me. Rather than trying to juggle a phone and whatnot."

hands holding a grocery list in the store
Seventyfour / Getty Images/iStockphoto

4."I own a tabletop radio in my house. It’s actually really pretty and has walnut veneer on the outside. I didn’t own a TV for about a decade of my life and spent two years living in the middle of a national forest where we couldn’t get any TV signal and had no internet and cell signals were iffy. So I kept up with the world and news through listening to the local NPR station (which had a tower in the national forest I lived in, so we got great signal)."

old radio

5."My grandparents taught me how to budget money with actual envelopes. Take out what you need for that month, have separate envelopes for bills, food, travel, rent, etc. Put the budgeted amount in each envelope. Use only what is in the envelopes, put any extra from all the other envelopes into another envelope for use on whatever you want."

envelopes with money

6."I once bought my husband a 'smart' cooking thermometer. It sends an alert to your phone when your meat reaches the right temperature. He looked at me like I lost my mind and asked me why in heaven's name would he need such a thing. We took it back. I don't know what I was thinking."

thermometer
4kodiak / Getty Images

7."I prefer using my MP3 player instead of my phone's music playlist for several reasons: A.) The MP3 is smaller and more portable than my phone, and there is a clip on the back to hook it to things; B.) the battery doesn't run down as quickly as my phone's battery does; C.) I can put music from my CDs onto my MP3 player, via my desktop computer, and D.) By spreading my music library among three devices, the MP3 player, my phone, and my desktop computer, I don't have to worry about losing my entire music library — which I have spent a lot of time, money, and effort building up, if something happens to one of my devices!"

an ipod with U2 playing
SKrow / Getty Images

8."I still have cable to watch my fav MLB team. Even if you subscribe thru the actual MLB, your games will still get blacked out. But regular old cable will carry 99% of them. I know it differs in each city."

guy on the couch watching tv
Enigma_images / Getty Images

9."I really enjoy wearing a regular watch. I'm 35 now and have been wearing one since I was a teenager. My wife, her mom, and sister each have a smartwatch, but I still love my regular watch. I never need to charge it, it never distracts me, and personally, I think it looks better fashion-wise than a smartwatch. I've actually gotten a couple compliments on it. It's a Citizen, so not a high-tier watch either."

wrist with a watch
Eduleite / Getty Images

10."I still write all my contacts in a notebook. Just in case."

pen writing down contact information
Spxchrome / Getty Images

11."I made the mistake of buying a TV season digitally. I went to watch it a few months later, and it had vanished — they'd taken it out of their library, but I didn't get a refund because it was no longer available. Since then, I've refused to buy any digital media and I only get DVDs because they can take it away at any time they feel like it."

dvd sets of the office

12."I ordered a charger for my old Nintendo DS Lite (came out 2006) last week and damn did I miss it. Playing Age of Empires and old Pokémon games and I’m having a blast."

pokeman on the game console

13."Textbooks, bro. Not even technology. Why is everything online now. I need the ability to highlight something."

highlight marks on a book
Tomekbudujedomek / Getty Images

14."I use a double edge razor to shave and I've just finished polishing my shoes with wax and a stiff brush. In both cases it takes a little longer than using an electric razor or those shoe polishing pens, but I enjoy the ritual and I don't mind it taking a bit of extra time."

old-fashioned razor
Digitalsignal / Getty Images/iStockphoto

15."Anything that still comes wired. Mice, keyboard, controllers, whatever, I'll still want the wired option. I'd argue typing is almost obsolete, but I'll still type over using speech to text."

—The_Sum
Coprid / Getty Images/iStockphoto

16."My alarm clock."

bulky alarm clock

17."I just picked up an electric typewriter in the trash and I started addressing envelopes with it. I will never go back to writing sloppy envelopes by hand again. It is really easy to just slap it in there, line it up, and type away."

envelope in a typewriter
Kvkirillov / Getty Images/iStockphoto

18."I'm a Xennial and I still pay my bills via mailed check. That means I have checkbooks, envelopes, and stamps in my home."

pen about to write a check
Jgi / Getty Images/Tetra images RF

19."I use a fairly old model Motorola phone. I keep buying the same one because I know how to use it. Had three of them now. I break a lot of phone screens doing construction but have to have it on me. It's a cheaper model."

hands holding a flip phone
Michele Constantini / Getty Images/PhotoAlto

20."Day planner (on paper) in a pocket-sized book. It's the easiest way to consolidate everything, and for me, the physical act of writing in it is a memory aid."

open planner
Kyoshino / Getty Images

21."Sticky notes at work. They stick to my office door sign and tell people where I am and if they can call right now."

person sticking notes on a glass wall
Obradovic / Getty Images

22."My wife still uses an adding machine with the roll of paper and that makes a bunch of noise when ever she enters anything."

old wired machine
Ezra Bailey / Getty Images

23."As a truck driver I still use physical maps as opposed to Google Maps."

pile of maps
Ziggymaj / Getty Images

24."I’m one of those people who was still using the DVDs-in-the-mail portion of Netflix until they shut it down a couple weeks ago. I liked being able to find old movies, obscure movies, and brand-new movies all in one place. I’m sad it’s gone now."

netflix mailer
Licreate / Getty Images

25.And lastly: "My Zune, I still use it."

hand holding up a zune showing band of horses playing
Scott Olson / Getty Images

You can read the post here and the original thread over on Reddit.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.