Where and How to Dig for Gold LOL

EXCERPTS

And she doesn't let a low-paying public relations job keep her from expecting such fineries one day. She exclusively dates men with money, and her exes include a roster of men in finance with degrees from top business schools.

And she's not alone - scores of New York women who weren't born rich are cashing in on free drinks, dinners and yes, even diamonds, by seeking out wealthy men.

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Sarah, 27, who works in publishing and waits tables on weekends to make ends meet, generally hits up exclusive bars and clubs like Frederick's and SoHo House two or three times a week with a group of girlfriends for chickentails, and to find cute, wealthy guys.

"I'm not getting any younger and I need someone who is going in the right direction in life," says Sarah. "I will not date an artist of any sort."

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The trend is nothing new (and perhaps not surprising in the face of a burgeoning luxury market and glossy magazines that advertise just how well the other half lives). The difference now is that for many young, educated women, dating rich doesn't have as much to do with social standing and security as it does with experiencing the finer things in life. Women like Sarah even see scoring free dinners at fancy restaurants and gifts like an Hermes scarf (which she promptly sold on eBay) as engaging in a reverse feminism, of sorts.

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"If he announces how well-off he is, I'll think he is a real Neanderthal and that no matter how big his bonus is, he'll never have enough money to buy himself a modicum of clbutt," says Erica. "But, I'll still flirt outrageously with him because I know he will at least buy all my drinks for the night."

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But many gold diggers say that just because they want a guy who's wealthy doesn't mean that they don't want a happy, meaningful relationship, too.

"You can have it all," says Sarah.

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"It's more acceptable, indeed even expected, for a woman to want a man with money. It's a consumer-based society - the biggest house, the fastest car, the most extravagant vacations," she says. "This is a culture that revels in excess and hardly ever advocates moderation on any level, and we all buy into it."