10 Things Frugal Baby Boomers (Almost) Never Buy

America's older generations grew up in a different world. There's the compulsory anecdotes about never locking the front door — or the one about walking uphill both ways in the snow — but other norms involve changes in technology and consumer behavior. For instance, some older Americans living today certainly would have spent their childhood without a television set in the house. There's also novel tools that dominate the consumer experience today that have really only been in existence for a few decades, like the cash back credit card, first introduced by Discover in the 1980s, and who can forget the internet!

Baby boomers (those aged between 62 and 80), have different priorities than many others. For starters, this group has either reached retirement or will soon make the move from worker to ex-commuter. While full retirement age, when Social Security benefits are paid out in full, is 67, many apply for Social Security benefits early, with eligibility starting at 62. It's perhaps no surprise then that the average American retires at this age, and it just so happens to be the youngest age of those in the baby boomer generation. Baby boomers may not always be frugal spenders, but those who are savvy with their money tend to avoid a number of sometimes-frivolous expenses. Sometimes, these come as a result of lower rates of exposure to the spending category: Subscription services come to the forefront here. Other spending items that frugal baby boomers avoid come as a result of careful money management, allowing them to maintain greater financial flexibility to spend more on the things they care about most.

One of the most obvious expenses that frugal spenders seek to cut down on is food costs. Some of the most overpriced menu items at restaurants include staples of the dining experience. The omelet, for instance, can see markups as high as 566%. Then, stacking a cup of coffee on top of that breakfast order will see you paying up to 900% over the cost of brewing a cup at home instead! Frugal spenders across the generational divide will be highly attuned to this pricing discrepancy. Everyone's got to eat, but paying an arm and a leg for each plate you consume is a recipe for financial disaster. Retirees working on a fixed income and looking to protect the principal of their nest egg will think long and hard before parting with their cash for a quick meal or a luxury restaurant visit. It's perhaps for this reason that baby boomers have become particularly fixated with finding discounts and favorable pricing when they do venture out into the restaurant arena.

It's also worth noting that many people in older generations will have grown up in a different culinary environment. The concept certainly isn't new, but the restaurant scene has exploded in recent decades. It wasn't a common practice to eat at restaurants frequently until fairly recently. The financial weight of dining out combined with frequent patronage becoming popularized more recently make boomers, and particularly those with frugal tendencies, less likely to engage in this practice more often than is necessary.

A Forbes study from May 2025 suggests that savers' risk tolerance peaks at the age of 55 and then experiences a precipitous drop. It's an intuitive fact that older savers will be more inclined to tamp down exposure to market fluctuations in an effort to even out their portfolio value even in rough seas. The closer you get to retirement the less time you have to recover from a market correction or other negative pricing event. This becomes even more important for those who have made the jump and are living off the proceeds of their previous savings efforts. Principal defense is a key priority for all seniors. One good example comes in the form of gradual shifts from stocks to bonds. A simple age rule can help guide you in this process, but there's far more to robust and personally tailored portfolio management than just this one calculation.

Frugal baby boomers will have already started to limit their exposure, likely years before turning over the calendar into their sixth decade. However, for those who feel they're behind on their savings goals, it might be tempting to lean into a greater level of risk to make up for lost time. Taking a page out of the frugal saver's playbook can be helpful here. Instead of exposing yourself to the market's whims, it might be a better idea to build in additional protections and get comfortable with the idea of working for an extra few years to bulk up your portfolio a bit more and delay the start to your Social Security benefits to take advantage of bonus payout rates.

The expense of luxury clothing items seems to rarely be worth the investment to older shoppers. FashionDive reported in February 2025 that when shopping online, in particular, 51% of baby boomers prioritized clothing purchase options based on discount availability and other, similar value additions. They look for functionality and form over style and branding marks. Perhaps, this isn't entirely a product of frugal sensibilities, however. Vogue, also reporting in February 2025, notes that while baby boomers wield a significant portion of American wealth as a cohort, they're frequently bypassed by designers and other trend setters in the world of luxury fashion.

It's unclear which side of this relationship acts as the primary driver, but what is absolute is the reality that older Americans simply trend toward budget-friendly threads. FashionDive notes that "baby boomer and Gen X customers are more focused on practicality and value," leaving luxury brands largely alone and keeping more of their money in their pockets for other expenses that are seemingly more important to their lifestyles. Beyond spending habits, many baby boomers on the frugal end of the spectrum will seek durable clothing additions to their wardrobe. Then, they'll work hard to take good care of these picks and even repair them when they get damaged rather than replacing a coat or pair of pants right away. This feature limits some baby boomers' exposure to the expensive end of the clothing market in numerous ways.

Among the more age-oriented spending discrepancies found in the modern marketplace is that of subscription services. It's absolutely possible to find totally plugged in baby boomers who utilize a raft of subscription tools from organized deliveries of their most common household goods to multiple entertainment tools including music services, video streaming, and more. Subscriptions today run the gamut, and there are plenty of choices that can certainly enhance a senior's lifestyle. With that being said, baby boomers didn't grow up in a world that had churned through the concept of ownership in order to sell just about everything imaginable as a subscription service. A boomer who patronizes these services heavily is one that has made the choice to embrace a novel consumer relationship rather than sticking largely to what they know. As such, the typical baby boomer doesn't tend to add a new service (and the associated monthly cost) to their budget without good reason.

This shows in the numbers. Bango found in September 2024 that baby boomers, on average, utilize the least amount of subscription services, with 87% maintaining five or fewer. In contrast, Millennials typically pay over $100 per month with the average consumer in this age bucket signing up to somewhere between six and 11 services. Baby boomers possess the fewest subscription accounts and average the lowest spend across age group cohorts in this corner of the marketplace.

To put it succinctly: There's almost never a good reason to buy branded medication when a generic alternative is available. Generic drugs aren't a different kind of medication that works similarly, they are chemically identical to branded medicines and work exactly the same. There's no difference between the two beyond the packaging wrapped around the pills or vial. Frugal spenders know this, and they frequently reach for generic options to save money while paying for the things they need to live a happy and healthy life. 

As you age, you're more likely to require additional visits to the doctor and spending on medications and other health needs increases, too. As such, any discount opportunities available to tamp down the rising cost of health care is a welcome addition to the budget of a frugal baby boomer. The Pharma Letter found in 2015 that "older generations are specifically likely to indicate that they would always go with generics." The same holds true in the modern prescription landscape, with AARP and the Senate Special Committee on Aging both highlighting the consistent value that older Americans gain from generic medications in recent years. There's an average savings of roughly 80 to 85% on prescription costs that can be gained by choosing generics, according to Johns Hopkins University, making the choice a largely simple one in most instances.

Hobbies are a big part of a retiree's lifestyle. After leaving the workforce, you'll have significantly more time to relax and enjoy the things that had previously been pushed to the side by your workday commitments. This might involve free or relatively inexpensive pursuits, like walking in the park or playing sports like tennis or running. Other hobbies might rely on more expensive or frequent purchases: Joining a golf club or getting into sailing, for instance, might be more to the speed of some retirees. Baby boomers are largely an active bunch, and activities ranging from tennis or pickleball to painting and poetry can include self-guided practice or involve teachers, group participation, and class enrollment.

Frugal baby boomers will frequently prioritize the hobbies and activities that make them happy. But they don't engage in over the top expenditures in these arenas. Taking a free painting class or pairing up with a friend to practice their golf swing rather than paying for professional help or coursework when it's not strictly necessary is a typical approach. There's certainly a time and place for paid support, but knowing where to draw the line is something that frugal baby boomers have seemingly internalized pretty well.

Baby boomers came up at a time when self-reliance and broad skill was praised and perhaps even necessary. Without the internet to deliver quick knowledge, learning to figure things out on the fly or bringing new skills into the wheelhouse were the norm rather than an exception. Many factors certainly played a role in this mindset beyond the simple explanations. Today, consumers are trending back toward a "fix-first" mindset, thanks in large part to economic pressures that make turning to a replacement at the outset less practical.

Whether the ailing component is a table leg or a hole in jeans, frugal baby boomers are in the habit of rolling out their toolkit and trying to fix the issue before settling for a full scale replacement. This approach is practical, and there's a calm, quiet confidence that comes along with the knowledge that you can fix many of the things you rely on throughout the day. Working with your hands features a calming effect, which can be beneficial to older Americans who've left the workforce, too. As a general rule of thumb for those who may be looking to become a bit more frugal, if the repair costs rise above around 50% of the replacement expense, it might be worth it to invest in a new jacket, appliance, or piece of furniture.

Insurance products remain an important part of retirees' lives, even though some of their specific needs might change as they age. Baby boomers are at a stage of life in which life insurance may no longer be necessary, for instance. Many buyers will utilize this tool to offer emergency financial support for their family if something were to happen while their children are still young. Others might need temporary coverage to protect their spouse or another family member while they pay off debts or finish off a mortgage. Older Americans can still gain value from life insurance under certain circumstances, but these products become more expensive as you age, with the typical policy getting roughly 9% more expensive with each year you wait to initiate coverage.

Frugal baby boomers will be firmly aware of the ticking clock here, and if they need a new policy of any sort they prioritize the tool and invest in a new coverage option as quickly as possible to lock in the best rates available. While life insurance and even standard health coverage for those 65 and over who can utilize Medicare may not be the right financial tool at this stage, some insurance products still do hold significant value. Those with smaller nest eggs might consider investing in an insurance policy designed to cover burial costs and other final expenses. This doesn't have to be a costly policy — particularly for those who buy into coverage early — and prevents a burden that averages between $6,000 and $10,000 depending on end of life wishes from being passed on to children and other loved ones.

Vacation planning is a big deal for seniors. With significantly more free time on their hands, many retirees look to get away from home whenever they can, and, as a result baby boomers average more time spent away on vacation with a higher annual expense. However, McKinsey found in 2024 that older Americans average roughly one less trip every year than younger people, resulting in more time split across fewer getaways. Extended vacations provide a few important benefits to travelers. For one thing, hotel rooms and other travel expenses often cost less per day when you make long term reservations. There's also the option to utilize slower modes of transportation or tack on excursions and other ticketed events at the most advantageous time for your wallet when you have longer in a destination. Rick Steves, a famously frugal baby boomer himself, loves taking overnight trains to save both time and money while traveling, adding yet another layer to this equation.

Frugal travelers will always look to maximize the buying power in their budget. With more time available to make plans, cost effective travel plans might involve off-peak or shoulder season reservations. Savvy consumers across the age gap will seek high impact value additions wherever possible and shy away from frivolous enhancements. Those in the upper class tend to avoid flight upgrades without a specific purpose, for example, but they'll lean into direct flights that might cost more but get them to their destination faster.

The timeshare is an investment that's basically a money pit for any kind of buyer. Regardless of age, timeshares often sour shortly after they come into your portfolio. That's because timeshares have historically featured mercurial rulesets when it comes to usage rights and timing. They may enforce blackout dates that limit your ability to make use of the property when you can actually get away, and they tend to continue elevating in costs throughout your ownership. In recent years, the timeshare industry has taken a turn away from shared usage of a single property and toward a kind of hotel-points based layout. With this change has come another shift: Establishments are often seeking to court younger buyers.

All this sets the stage, but it can't obscure an important fact. Older Americans still buy timeshares more often than their younger peers. Even with literal decades of jokes about timeshare pitch meetings and the heartache of utilizing a property after agreeing to buy into the program, older Americans are still purchasing timeshares with surprising vigor. However, financially savvy baby boomers have learned to dabble in the dark arts of the timeshare game. Frugal consumers will have caught onto an integral problem in the timeshare space. Buyers often regret their purchase and seek to get out of the obligation by any means necessary. This means that the secondary market for timeshare property access is robust and drastically discounted. A savvy investor can expect to pay around 30% of the market rate if not better, and sometimes even find a legitimate offer that only costs $1!