From celebrity relationships (Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry) to prime-time television (Lipstick Jungle, The Old Adventures of New Christine and ABC's Cougar Town) it's clear that the older-woman-dating-down double standard is starting to disappear. The term "cougar" even surfaced in a T-Mobile commercial. In the following five reasons, you'll learn from women loving the lifestyle why you should embark on your own May-December (or just September) romance. But do yourself a favor and stick to guys over 21 unless you want to be buying all of the booze.

1. Younger Guys Know How to Live Well on Less

Instead of dining at three-star restaurants that you won't remember a month from now or checking out the latest overpraised Broadway show, utilize your younger guy to achieve a simpler, more pared-down existence.

Rhoda Clark, 41, of New York City, who has had a number of younger boyfriends, lives with her 24-year-old boyfriend of 18 months. "I cook a lot more since he moved in with me which was a nice change of pace from eating out 4–5 days a week," Clark says. "If anything, I'm more domestic with him than I ever was with men closer to my age group." As an added perk, she's dropped 30 pounds since they began seeing each other.

Libbe S. HaLevy, 59, of Los Angeles, learned about the "wonders of camping and hiking" from her younger boyfriend. "We explored many obscure hiking trails," she says,"Including a search for hidden modern petroglyphs in the hills of the San Fernando Valley. I [also] learned the 'joy' of certain vegetarian fast foods: Taco Bell—who knew?"

2. Inexperience Equals Eagerness

Regardless of how many partners your lover has had, chances are when it comes to the sack, he needs some guidance, literally and figuratively. Take a firm hand and share your wealth of knowledge. In the long run, he'll be glad to know that however much pleasure he's had in the past, he can have more, longer. Forty-something New Yorker, Darby Clark, has dated men 10-20 years her junior, and discovered that younger men "respond extremely well to feedback and direction—better than older guys."

Ann Fry, 62, also from New York City, is seeing a 40-year-old. "I found men my age to be much more boring sexually or to truly not be very good at sex. It's like they got into a pattern with their spouses and they just don't try that hard," she says. "In my relationship with a younger man... our sex life is great. He is very concerned about me and open to variety and fun experiences."

After you've passed on the wisdom of the elders, there will be one less guy in the world subjecting womankind to slobbery kisses and the patented jackhammer technique. The ladies of the world will thank you.