Rich

Beautiful and married to a successful man who supports her shopping habits, stay-at-home mom Elizabeth Jayne Liu, 30, sounds like a person that women might dismiss as being shallow. After all, resolving to quit shopping for a year doesn't quite sound very soul-searching.

However, as she chronicles her eventful year without shopping in her blog, Flourish in Progress, readers get a glimpse of the true story. No, Elizabeth's life hasn't always been the pretty picture it is now — she was a runaway teen mom who struggled by on welfare, working odd jobs at a dry cleaner's and other similar establishments to scrape by. Then in a whirlwind fashion a few years ago, she found herself with more to spend after reuniting with a well-to-do childhood pal and marrying him after only 18 days of dating.

To hear what she has to say about her no shopping journey, read on.

The richest American Express cardholders (who hold the Centurion or black card) are about to find the process of negotiating for cars a lot easier. Privileged members will now be able to negotiate the price of a car through an AMEX website without even having reveal personal information online, according to the New York Times.  Wow, imagine not having to deal with the stress of haggling with the car dealer!

Out of curiosity, I went to check out some of the best perks offered by the black card. Here is a list of them:

• Automatic upgrades in several airlines to business or first class
• A 24/7 personal concierge who will do all your bookings and find that elusive bag that seems to be sold out everywhere
• Personal shoppers at high-end department stores and extended shopping hours if you need more time
• Instant hotel upgrades and late check out times
• A complimentary air ticket for your partner on certain international flights if you buy a full priced ticket
• Travel expert who will do all the bookings for you, find the best deals, and negotiate the best travel perks on your behalf

I know that these are credit card benefits that aren't realistic for most. After all, few can afford spending at least $250,000 a year. I'm wondering, if anything were possible (fees and spending minimums aside), what kind of credit card perk would you love to have?

Neiman Marcus released their gift catalog on Tuesday and boy were the things listed on there truly extravagant. Make your pickings among items like a $1.5 million "glass creation from artist Dale Chihuly for the bottom of a swimming pool," $15,000 gingerbread playhouse, and a $125,000 private party organized by celebrity event planner, Colin Cowie. If you're looking to spend less, you can still feel like a baller with the $100 tweezer blinged out with crystals or a $95 scented candle featured on the catalogs. These Neiman gifts may not be realistic, but what's the most extravagant gift you've received?

They're loving it! The mega rich can dine in the finest restaurants and sip on the most extravagant wines, but apparently all they want is a good ol' cheeseburger. Or at least, that's the trend we're seeing now as the result of the recession.

According to a study by American Express, "ultra-affluent" customers have increased their fast food budget by 24 percent, reports The Wall Street Journal. In comparison, the rest of the firm's US customers increased their junk food spending by only eight percent. The "ultra-affluent" category includes people who spend more than $7,000 per month and earn a certain income level.

Keith Gutsell, an IT risk manager at a Chicago bank, says eating these quick service meals helps him feel more thrifty. "Subconsciously, I think I'm saving money by spending less on food, but my spending somewhere else must be going up, because the amount on my credit card is not going down," he says.

Although eating cheap meals on the go will save them big bucks now, it will result in higher medical bills in the long run. Have you been consuming more fast food to save money like the fabulously wealthy?

Finance expert and author of the best-selling book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, Ramit Sethi, has loads of savvy tips to make you money-wise and wealthy. His thickest piece of advice? While it's hard to narrow it down to just one of his strategies, the best get-rich tip may just be to do a little self-evaluation and find out how you think of wealth.

We all have our expensive must-haves and hang-ups — I will never surrender my addiction to designer jeans or manicures, for one. I have friends who might be convinced to curb their retail spending in favor of travel, or a great apartment, but when it comes down to it, I know very few people my age that can have it all. Instead of griping about what you can't have — Ramit suggests we prioritize to buy or do the things we see as having real worth to us.

Making concessions, like finding a roommate to cut your rent in half, can make it possible for you to splurge on other things. The key takeaway is that you don't have to wait years to live a wealthy lifestyle, but you must prioritize how to spend — and that means that defining how you see wealth is step one. So tell me, what does being rich mean to you?