A new study out from an economist at Merrill Lynch found that women are getting clobbered on costs when they shop. An economist ran the numbers and found women pay 18 times the rate of inflation. Men don’t pay nearly that much. Although it may not sound like a good thing, it’s actually a sign of success that women are paying more Women are earning more money than they have in the past and supply is not keeping up with demand, so women are paying more. Take shoes, for example. Women buy a ton of shoes and still never feel they have enough. So, shoes, jewelry, clothing and cosmetics are all going up in price. The one scary caveat is that single women are much less likely to save for the future than men. That is concerning because women live much longer than men, and women are likely to have a child during their lives. That interrupts working and earning years and can, therefore, take its toll on retirement savings. You also may want to check out myshape.com? It’s a site where women can build their own clothing based on their size. It will save you time and money.