Women cost more than men

I cost more than my husband does.

 

I find that it's very UNfair that females cost more than males.  I'm not even going to get into the whole "men make more than women" debate.  My man makes more than I do, and I'm grateful.  Neither of us work very hard so we're not complaining about our income. 

 

But it seems like when we go to the store, more than 50% is for me.  Is it because I'm high-maintenance?  No, I don't think so.  But..

 

I use lots more toilet paper. 

I buy feminine products. 

Birth control.

I buy more hair styling products. 

I buy lotion. 

I buy make-up.

I buy nail polish and other nail paraphernalia .

I cut his hair for free and pay to have mine cut. 

I wear hose and bras.

Our outer clothing costs are pretty close to the same, because we buy them at the same places and we never have to dry clean. 

I wear more jewelry.

 

Ok, looking at the above list, it does look like I'm a bit high-maintenance.  But I'm really not!  I've managed to equal out the toilet paper, the feminine products and the birth control.  Let's just say that the first two are disposable and I've perfected the art of non-disposable where those are concerned.  The birth control cost was taken care of by getting my tubes tied years before I met my better half.  But to stay on topic, in all fairness, it doesn't have to be the female that gets "fixed".  I'm not sure what the cost comparisons are for getting tubes tied vs. a vasectomy and all that.  And I am sure that birth control is cheaper than babies, but I've never really seen a cost comparison for that either. 

I do buy a little bit of hair styling products.  Mostly my "always on the counter" can of Rave hairspray that runs about $1/month.  But I have always had to use a bit of something to "boost" my hair.  I'm not picky about *what* gets used; mousse, gel, spritz.  Whatever you got on sale is fine with me!  Same with lotion.  I don't spend much more than $1/bottle.  I'd estimate my lotion costs at $.50/month.  I do have dry, sensitive skin, so I do have to use it and my husband doesn't. 

Make-up.  Argh.  I hate it.  Wish I didn't need it.. but I do!  I have permanent eyeliner, but I don't think that really "paid" for itself.  Eyeliner is fairly cheap!  But I still need something to coat my skin (foundation/powder), some color for my cheeks, eyes and lips.  And mascara.  I'd guess that 75% of my make-up costs go straight to mascara!  I pick up "color" cheap at The Dollar Tree and Target.  Never pay more than $1 for that stuff!  I like a nice mineral powder for my foundation, but ymmv. 

I rarely buy polish, and when I do, I try to get it for $1/color or less.  I think I have a grand total of $5 worth of polish at home.  My nails are super-smooth and polish doesn't stick.  I've used $10 polish and it doesn't stay any longer than the $1 stuff.  So I don't spend a lot of money.  I usually only polish for a special occasion, so it's really not a big deal.  I do have a collection of emery boards and nail files and buffers, so I probably actually do spend more than at first look.  My husband?  He uses a $1 nail-clipper.

Ok, so every 4 weeks or so, I sit him down and put a cape around his neck and give him a nice hair cut.  I'm lucky that I've got some talent in this area.  However, short of trimming my own bangs, I can't cut my own hair.  So I put off getting a hair cut as long as possible!  And try to use a coupon or catch a good sale (it happens).  So, depending how long it is between cuts, I get a new style every time I go.  I think the last time I went was in August, when they cut it short enough to spike.  Now it's down to my shoulders.  Luckily, it's grown out very uniformly, so I've just gone with it. 

Neither of us spend a lot on clothes.  I bought two pair of shoes to wear to work when I started my job; a brown pair and a black pair.  Every outfit I own goes with one pair of shoes or the other.  Except a navy blue dress I have.  So it doesn't get worn! Neither of us use a dry cleaners, but those costs don't discriminate.  It's very possible that men pay more for women or women pay more than men. 

When we got married, nearly $1000 was spent on my wedding set and we got change back from $100 for his ring.  Every once in a blue moon, I'll buy a pair of earrings or a new ring.  Or my husband buys them for me.  Other than his wedding band (and the replacement wedding band when he lost the first one), I've never bought him any jewelry.  He doesn't have any other jewelry, except a $4 wrist watch (that I bought for myself and didn't like and he accepted it). 

 

So are women just more expensive?  I think so.  And I think it's not fair!  My husband's grooming products fit on one shelf behind the bathroom mirror and mine take up 2 shelves, half of the cabinet under the sink, a shelf above the toilet and two shelves in the closet!  I have a dedicated vanity that is overflowing with my "stuff" too.  He can easily "splurge" on the good shaving cream and a razor, and I skimp with the cheap, pink disposable ones. 

 

And we're relatively young.  I assume my costs will go up as I age.  I'll have to use more make-up and won't be able to get away with the cheap, sparkly stuff.  Hair coloring, better bras, support garments, etc.  He'll never have to deal with any of those additional costs.  He'll only get better with age.  His hat collection may grow as his hair line decreases, but it's still a small price to pay.