It is funny, however, that many people – especially baby boomers – are willing to spend huge amounts of money to buy ’new’ vintage retro refrigerators that replicate the old school look with todays techologies.  Brands like Smeg sell for thousands of dollars, and while they are definitely cute, they do not provide anything spectacular in the way of extra functionality.

As a matter of fact, true retro refrigerators may not even have features like water filters and ice makers – which are standard in most any high end fridge freezer these days.  So it is clear that buyers of these refrigerators are buying for looks only!

While I don’t see myself personally paing the big bucks for one of these fridays – I was born in 1970 – I could see my parents buying one.  To me these retro fridgs are just a fuzzy memory that I will occasionally stumble across a refrigerator review for, but to prior generations they are a strong reminder of better and simpler times!

I remember there not being so much of a taboo to smoking when I was growing up in the late seventies, early eighties. It seemed like everyone smoked and not only that but you could do it wherever you wanted! The local newsagent used to have a an ashtray next to his till that was constantly full and every time I saw him he always had a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. It didn’t really come as much of a surprise to me looking back that I tried my first cigarette at the age of 14, looking back it was quite a normal thing to do, all the kids were doing it.

What seemed so harmless at the time though did end up being a 27 year habit, one that thanks to The Safe Cig coupon code and electronic cigarettes I have now managed to kick the habit. It’s never too late to stop smoking and improve your health!

I am now 43. People tell me that I am now middle-aged. I wince when I hear this. I guess most people my age do. I don’t feel like I belong on the scrap heap, or that my best days are behind me. It is impossible to tell when middle age really is because no one knows how long they are going to live. If you die at 30 then middle age is logically 15 years old.

One thing I have noticed about being in your 40s is that your powers of recovery slow down. It takes longer to recover from a bad back, a cold or a hang over. I still like to go out and party, I still say ‘yes’ when I should say ‘no’ but I do now know when to stop. My younger friends will carry on partying until well into the following day. I like to hit the sack before the sun comes up.

One useful recovery drink that I have discovered is coconut water. I buy packs of Vita Coco coconut water from Amazon. I keep them in the fridge and drink one or two a day. I have one after doing exercise as coconut water contains lots of essential electrolytes that help with rehydration. I also drink a carton of coconut water before I go to bed if I have been drinking heavily. It lessens the pain the following day. I nearly always have one first thing in the morning.

Coconut water contains lauric acid. It is the antimicrobial agent that is found in mother’s milk. It helps to protect the body from viral infections. Since I started my coconut water regime 2 years ago I haven’t had a single cold. I’ve not missed a day off work. This is great because I can use all my paid holiday doing fun things with my family and friends.

My advice to people my age: if you don’t want to feel middle aged than drink coconut water. It doesn’t perform miracles but it gives you that extra boost, in a natural way.

I am now in my late 30s. During much of my 20s and 30s I’ve been traveling and working. I’ve had the traveling bug for a long time. With a modicum of initiative, luck and determination you can fund yourself by working abroad and then using the money to see new places. I’ve pursued this course to see a lot of Asia, Africa and South America. I never really wanted to waste money visiting rich countries such as Australia, Canada or the USA. The only wealthy places I’ve spent much time in are home (the UK) and Japan (where I taught English).

During my wondering I held to a philosophy of non-materialism. I just needed enough to get by and no more. I was happy to stay in the cheapest places and eat the worst food with those at the bottom of society. I hated getting on a bus with other foreigners, or being forced to stay in a hostel with drunken yobs.

Experiencing the beaches of Thailand was a turning point for me. The nature was spectacular, the people friendly and the prices really cheap. As fate would have it I was offered a plot of land next to one beach in Thailand. Rather than blindly rushing in I took legal advice and bought rather than leased the land.

Slowly over the years I’ve put money into building a house in Thailand. It hasn’t been easy. I made many mistakes that I had to go back and re-do. After 7 years I finished it. Every year I stay there for free for a month or so. I sit on my huge balcony and look at the sea view. I feel at these moments that I am home, that I could settle down.

It wasn\’t easy to dig out data about wine that was grown back in the 1970\’s.  The modern vineyard chart wasn\’t really born until much later, so we\’ve been stuck with someone trying to fill in the data based on assumptions and inuendo.

That being said, a few things come to mind when we talk about wine in the year of my birth, 1979.

1) 1979 was a good year to give a wine gift

2) 1979 was not the most easily characterized vintage.  It was overall a good vintage, but the wines from premier growing regions like Bordeaux were not considered to be truly age worthy.  Instead they were ready to drink immediately.

That\’s interesting and will continue to hold back wines from my birth year from being considered among the best ever.  At the end of day, not every vintage can be 2009 in Bordeaux.

Unfortunately this did not last forever. Flash 30 years later and cost of education, homes, and gasoline sky rocket and many people have found themselves in bad credit debt.  I was one of these. Until I heard a few coworkers over talking about getting help via an IVA, I had no idea what I could do to get out of debt.

I ran home and Google what is an IVA and found out it was just what I needed.  Within minutes I was on my way to filing for assistance. Now I have just a few years before I will be completely debt free.

They were influenced by some of the great bands that came out of the New York scene before them such as Television and the Velvet Underground. Their music was a kick back to the old times of rock music, spearheading a style of music later to be dubbed as garage rock revival. It created a whiplash to the modern music scene.

Many of the themes within their songs were about living in the metropolis. Their debut album, Is This It?, generated a lot of buzz for its nostalgic style and great songwriting. Without Julian Casablancas, there may have never been a rock ‘n roll revival.

One thing I’ve learned about growing older is that age does not confer wisdom. I also know that being staid, boring and middle class is not the same as wisdom. Just because someone goes to bed early, doesn’t drink or smoke, buckles down at a boring job, gets a mortgage, a big car and a family doesn’t make them wise, smart or even clever. Conformity should never be confused with intelligence. That is unless you live in a repressive authoritarian regime where, as the Chinese say, the nail that sticks up get hit first.

The only wisdom that I have gleaned from my 40 plus years on this earth is:

• Nobody goes to the grave wishing that they had done more work.
• Don’t believe everything that you read or hear. Reserve judgment, and don’t be afraid to stand alone in doubting something. Just because everyone disagrees with you doesn’t make them right ipso facto.
• Money is nothing but ‘survival tickets’ as the late and great Robert Anton Wilson so rightly noted.
• Avoid sociopaths.
• Worry more about your character and reputation than your looks.
• Never stop enjoying yourself. Life is not a dress rehearsal.

With this last point in my mind I recently went to a Full Moon Party in Thailand. I left the wife and kid at home and went with some mates. We didn’t just go to any full moon party in Thailand, but the biggest and the best. The one held on Haad Rin Nok in Koh Phangan. It’s a party that draws up to 20,000 people per party.

My mates are all about my age. On the night of the party we were surrounded by people half our age. I didn’t mind this. Young people know how to have a good time, and so do I.

The party was off the hook. The music was average. The atmosphere and the beautiful natural surroundings made up for the prevalence of slow and dull trance tunes. The Orchid Bar played drum and bass and so we hanged out there the most.

When the sun came up we were still drinking. Around us many youngsters were lying in their own vomit. Some were in the sea looking for all the world like they had a death wish.

I went to bed at 11am alone and supremely happy. It’s great to be alive even at 42.

I turn 21 years old this year and I plan on buying my first car.  I am being very responsible about this decision and I have definitely done my research.  I’ve used this interest calculator to figure out exactly how large of a loan I can afford and I have saved up a very healthy down payment.

It really means  a lot to me to be able to purchase my very own car as I see many of my friends either get one given to them by their parents or go out and get the biggest loan they can qualify for and then end up not being able to pay for food and rent.  People my age tend to make poor financial decisions, so it means that much more to me that I’ve taken the time and discipline to do this the right way.

I’ve been getting by until now by riding my bike, taking public transportation and bumming rides from friends.  But after my recent contract acquisition my transportation requirements have gone up significantly.  I was born in 1991, am 20 years old, and have made one of the wisest financial decisions of my life.