Like many, I suffer from an addiction to online shopping. What can I say? It's like going to the mall without the social interaction. Why would I want to see my ex-best friend when I'm just trying to get my Victoria's Secret fix or awkwardly stutter out my order at Auntie Anne's while someone's kid cries behind me? No thanks.
Although the dreaded shipping time and fees make it a little less fun, shopping online is 1,000x better than shopping at a store in-person. However, it often comes with dread and guilt upon looking at your bank account. (Hollister had a great online sale AND free shipping... Vital, right?) So, here are the 13 stages an online shopaholic endures while feeding their addiction.

1. The Bait
You see it while scrolling through your Facebook/Instagram feed- Online sales. Aeropostale 40% off. Victoria's Secret 8/$28 panties. Hollister $40 hoodies on sale for $15. It's magical. It's beautiful. It's too good to be true, right? You HAVE to click it... Just to make sure, just in case.

2. The Physical Reaction
You see the sale prices- Everything was legit. ASOS has free shipping on EVERYTHING. Your heart flutters and beats faster, even more than when you see bae looking fresh. This is so much better and gives a feeling no one else can. You start scrolling rapidly, scanning price slashes down to the cent.

3. The Target
There, you see it. That shirt you've noticed at the mall for WEEKS is FINALLY on sale. 40% off? You tap "Add To Cart" so fast your thumb hurts on impact.

4. The 2nd Target
Now, you're drawn in. The euphoric feeling sweeps over you as you keep scrolling and your pupils have dilated. There, you see another. "That's kind of cute" enters your mind. Not as exciting as the first one, BUT it's on SALE... Sooo... (*Add To Cart*)

5. Shopping Blackout
The most dangerous stage: The sale has overtaken you so far that you just start adding anything you think is cute/cool/kinda cute/would match that one pair of shoes to your cart because SALE, right?

6. Nervousness
The dreaded moment has come when you finally have to face your actions and the consequences of them. Your finger hovers over the screen/trackpad/mouse for a few seconds (or minutes, depending on how bad you did this time) before you build up the courage to press "View Cart" after your latest impulse addition.

7. Dread
Your heart stops beating when you see the number your irrationality has created (let's face it, you definitely went over $100). Your heart drops into your stomach and you feel like it may definitely come out your butt at some point. Breathe. You can undo this, but it will be painful.

8. Elimination
You have to pick which of your children- I mean items, you love most and give the rest away. (If this sounds overly dramatic, you're not a shopaholic.) You scroll through the seemingly never-ending list of things you impulsively added to your shopping cart and start removing things you probably won't use or may wear once.

9. Acceptance
You've settled on a semi-reasonable amount of things to order and the price is only slightly more than you'd not planned on spending (this whole thing was impulse, face it). You go to the next page and enter in your shipping information, then billing info, and scan over your order, admiring all of your little pretties.

10. Shipping Fees
"They're charging you $12 to ship this crap!? Relax, bro. I live in Tennessee, not on the moon." Breathe. It'll be worth it... Right?

11. Finalizing
You hover your mouse over the "Submit Order" button. Dozens of questions enter your mind, but one, in particular, stands out: "Do I really need this stuff?" You then laugh it off and press it quickly. Of course, you needed them. That's why there was a sale. Duh.

12. Waiting
The most painful stage of all and the one thing that distinguishes shopping in person as being slightly better than shopping online is the WAITING. Amazon Prime has 2 day shipping, why can't American Eagle?!

13. Arrival
TRUE BLISS! You come home from a crappy day to see a box (or boxes, depending on how crazy you got back there) sitting on your porch. Your heart flutters and you find yourself running up to the porch bouncing up and down. Enjoy your purchase, diva! But you may want to make sure your bank account isn't in the negatives. #thestruggleisreal