Strong enough for a man, but priced for a woman

The CFO of the American home has had enough. She works hard at a job where she earns 20 percent less, on average, than her male counterpart. She juggles family, fitness, friends and her relationship — all without skipping a beat. But learning that companies now mark up products branded to women and mothers. Well, that is just one pill this CFO isn’t willing to swallow.

According to a study by Consumer Reports, women are paying more for comparable products that offer female branding. Samples from the study compared the price of products like shampoo and pain relievers and all were almost identical, aside from their marketing. Each product was targeted to either a female or male consumer, and revealed that brands marketed to females were consistently more expensive.

Here is how it all broke down:

Shaving Cream
Men's Barbasol $1.69
Girl's Pure Silk $2.49

Deodorant
Men's Degree Deodorant 2.7 oz $3.59
Degree for Woman 2.6 $3.59

Pain Reliever
Excedrin regular brand $5.99 ( 20 pills)
Excedrin Menstrual Complete $6.49 (20 pills)

Eye Cream
Men's Neutrogena Eye Reliever Cream $9.99
Woman's Continuous Hydration Cream $14.99

Body Wash
Nivea body wash, Cool $5.49 (16.9 oz)
Nivea Touch of Happiness $7.49(16.9 oz)

Razor Blades
Schick Quattro for men (4-pack) $10.49
Schick Quattro for Women (4-pack) $10.99

Unfortunately for marketers, women hold the power in the marketplace and we're resourceful enough to even out the bottom line.

A post from the Consumer Reports blog noted, “I use M Lotion for Men, a moisturizer made by Clinique. It is in fact Clinique's Dramatically Different, a widely known and used women's moisturizer. It costs a little more than half of what the women's one does. A clerk told me once — quite matter of factly — that it is was priced that way because Clinique knew that men were not going to spend as much on personal care products as women were accustomed to doing.”

Is this outrageous? Absolutely. Are we suggesting that smelling like musk and pine needles is a small price to pay in order to save some cash — no. Buying men’s razor blades and shaving cream might save you a few bucks, and who’s really going to know the difference. But we're not completely convinced that the trade off of smelling like a guy's armpit is worth the savings. So, here are some Smart Cookie approved suggestions to help you save on your family's necessities.

Save on sunscreen
Sun protection is a must for most moms. But our search found that you can buy generic, store brand sunscreen that meets all the recommended guidelines for 20 percent less than sunscreens branded for kids. Look for SPF of 30-50 or higher, broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection, which is usually provided by a combination of sunscreen ingredients, like avobenzone, and/or a sun block, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, that it is water resistant.

Baby products
While their may be no identical alternative for items like diapers and formula. There are efficient ways to save on other baby necessities. Instead of buying baby crib sheets, which cost more for a smaller product with a shorter lifespan, buy single bed sheets and cut them in half. They fit perfectly in a crib. Stores like IKEA charge $8 for colorful prints. A seamstress will charge $5 to smooth out the cut end of the sheet. Total cost $13. Patterned baby sheets can cost up to $40.

Go bulk on everyday items
Get your girls together and plan a group trip to a wholesale store like Sam’s Club or Cosco. Not everyone has room for eight sticks of deodorant or a vat of conditioner. But buying a bulk pack and splitting can save you 75 percent.

Swap it out
It’s a new year and time to clean out those bathroom cupboards. Gather all the creams, lotions and potions that you've never used or used once and decided it wasn't for you, and get a group together to do a swap. We have made a habit of this for a couple of years and as a group of five, on average find $25 each in drugstore money that we've saved by stocking up on our friend's goodies, or finding products hiding under our own sinks that we forgot we had.

For additional ways to spend less and make more, pick up a copy of "Smart Cookies To Making More Dough" or visit www.smartcookies.com