Iwas a mall teen before I was a chronically online adult. My best friend and I spent weekends trying on going-out tops we had nowhere to wear, while my mom read Nora Roberts outside the music box store (RIP).

Fast forward 25 years, and I’m the one writing books for a living (and hosting a podcast and newsletter to discuss them, too). The mall lives inside my phone, and I browse through tabs instead of store racks. What can I say? Once a mall teen, always a mall teen, because I’m absolutely on a first-name basis with my UPS guy.

As a writer, online shopping is my procrastination method of choice (do you think my accountant would let me call this a write off since it’s part of the process? ). Here’s what I almost bought this week, and what it says about how I’m doing, financia

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