Mom vs. Tax-Free Holiday

This is the weekend where the government (can't remember if its all across the country or just here) that we don't have to pay sales tax on our clothing items. The purpose of this "holiday" is so that people will do their kids' school clothes shopping and give retailers a big kick in the bottom line so that they don't have to wait until the busy Christmas shopping season. I see it as a scam. They get you in with the thought of saving a ton of cash in sales tax. That is what I don't get -- how can one SAVE money when they are SPENDING it? It is leaving your hand, therefore it is not being saved, it is being spent. Hello! How difficult a concept is this??

Scam though it may be, I was there right alongside the other mom's trying to SPEND a little LESS money than we normally would. I took Tyler first. Now, Tyler being 13 one would think that he is pretty difficult to please. Actually, he is pretty easy. He knows what he likes, has really good taste, and is good about helping me not spend so much. He finds good bargains. However, he likes to shock me. He comes from around a rack of 8.99 t-shirts with one that is brown and on the front in bold, white letters, its says "I don't give a..." (picture of a rat) (picture of a donkey). You figure it out. He begged and begged for it. I told him he can't wear it to school. He said he could. I caved. He ended up finding something he liked better, I made him leave the rat/donkey shirt. Mom -1. An hour later, we left the store with 3 pairs of jeans, a pair of shoes, and 4 shirts. I was $175 poorer.
Then, I went home, picked up MacKenzie and we were off. We went to the same store with the same though in mind...Not spending too much but finding a good deal.
Now, someone please explain to me why clothes for girls/women are twice as much as they are for boys/men? T-shirts all come from the same damn cotton plant. They are dyed the same way. They have the same brand names. Yet, one for Mac is going to cost me $12.99 and for Tyler its $8.99. What the hell? MacKenzie left with one pair of jeans, 3 shirts, a bra, and 4 pairs of underwear for the same amount of money I spent on Tyler. We picked up 2 pairs of shoes for another $100 and I had simply had enough!
Don't get me wrong, I love shopping for my kids. I love it. They are growing so fast. Mac and I now wear the same size shoes which is nice for me since she has cool shoes! But I tell ya, this inequality related to the cost of clothes depending on your sex is ridiculous! It makes a woman or a girl start shopping in the men's department just to save a buck! Hell, at this rate, we are going to end up raising a generation of cross dressers! Maybe that is the key! You know those emails that we get all the time about not buying gas to drive prices lower? We could do the same thing with clothing! I'll send out an email to my entire address book suggesting that we all shop in the men's department only. Maybe if everybody does it for about 5 years, it will knock the price of a pair of flip-flops down 50 cents! Nah - never mind. I have more important things to worry about -

Like the super glue holding the straps of my purse together.