Out With the New, In With the Old: Money and Lifestyle Trends

“We over-parent in the physical world and underparent in the digital world.” That line, which Rachel Cruze attributes to the book The Anxious Generation, lands midway through a conversation about why old-school habits are making a comeback. The hosts of Smart Money Happy Hour are tracking a broad cultural shift they call “out with the new, in with the old”—a return to simpler, more intentional ways of living that covers everything from home design to parenting to personal finance. And for the most part, they’re here for it.

The Old-School Ethos: Nostalgia Meets Practicality

The episode opens with a viral video that sums up the trend: open-concept homes are out, cozy rooms with character are in. Gadgets like vibration plates are being replaced by going outside and using your own body. The video’s creator even declares “we’re done with modern therapy” and AI, advocating instead for “smaller villages” and “stronger, solid biblical churches.” Cruze and Kamel don’t endorse every extreme—Kamel jokes that the woman in the video “might need to go to therapy”—but they agree with the underlying impulse. “We’ve isolated ourselves,” Cruze says. “We want convenience over everything.” The throughline is that convenience has come at a cost: less community, less friction, less awareness of where your money and attention actually go.