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How it is that I checked out of OldNavy.com with nine items and a $164 bill? (Yes, a pretty good deal -- but not the point.) I somehow went from clicking through a sale email to browsing new arrivals to ... this. There's no way this would have happened in an actual Old Navy store (namely because the crazy-long line would have made me turn right around, shove everything back on the racks, and walk away).

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, aka the Money Coach, knows the answer. The financial expert is the author of "Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom" -- and she knows the allure of online shopping: She turned her life around after paying off $100,000 in credit-card debt in three years.

According to Lynnette, there are three reasons your willpower wanes on the Web:

You use a credit card.
"Studies show that consumers spend 20 to 40 percent more when using a credit card over cash," she explains.

It entices your inner impulse shopper.
It's one thing to go online in search of a new pair of studded ankle-strap sandals, but it's another to just, well, fall into shopping. "Most impulse shopping happens when you're reading your email or checking out your favorite gossip site -- the marketing angle of keyword advertising (those ads that magically pop up on the top or side of your browser enticing you with, say, shoe sales) seduces you into an unplanned purchase," adds Lynnette.

Time-sensitive deals are too difficult to pass up.
With comparison shopping and online shopping search engines aplenty, it's easy to find a good deal. 50 percent off! Free shipping! "These online enticements give your purchase an immediacy," she says. In fact, online sample sales (Gilt, Rue La La, etc.) are most guilty of these time constraints. "Online samples sales are the most difficult to pass up: a great bargain and a time limit?" she notes. "It's a potent mix."

But what is it that hooks you? We asked real shoppers what's made them unable to click away:
Erin, 27, is suckered by boredom -- and variety: "I'm addicted to checking the new arrivals at Heritage1981 for a quick fix. They post new items every day, many of which sell out after the first few days. I probably buy something from them about once a week on average. It's my guilty pleasure," she says.

Heather, 34, finds shopping "deadlines" impossible to resist -- even if they interfere with her work. "The fact that there is limited time to order and everything goes so quickly can be stressful," she says. "I have one employee who consistently strolls into my office at noon to ask me something. I'm too embarrassed to shoo her away so I don't miss the Gilt sales, so I end up quickly turning the computer screen away and try to put one eye on her and one on the screen while I furiously click around on the things I like, trying to stick them in my cart."

Alex, 32, has a thing for disposable sundresses: "I don't shop in brick-and-mortar stores very often, but online -- you see just how much awesome stuff there is out there, and often you see it on sale, so you think you can't pass it up. I do wear some of what I buy at Forever 21, but I've also certainly bought dresses because they were inexpensive. Then I get them and realize in a week or so that they're not really that cute. They probably just looked cute compared to the other hideous crap they were next to."

Callie, 24, loses her cool around shoes: "My true online weakness is shoes. For example, Steve Madden had some clearance ballet flats coupled with free shipping. I have around eight pairs of shoes I bought online that I can't really wear because they give me blisters... hopefully the purple SM flats I just ordered will be different!"

And there are women with very specific problems: "Black, above-the-knee dresses -- oftentimes with some sort of draping or intricate fabric folding detail," says Gabrielle, 26. "I don't know why I can't seem to remember that I have a closet full of them -- seriously, at least a dozen and counting -- when I add another one to my cart. It's only when it arrives, and I try it on that I look back at my closet and sigh."

If you're anything like any of the ladies above, Lynnette suggests implementing two strategies. First, the 24-Hour Rule. Click away from your purchase for a day. If you can summon the power to walk away, you'll take the time to decide if this item is something you can afford, something you need vs. want, and if it's something you already have.

Second, utilize Three Things when shopping online:
A budget. Not much explaining needed here. Set a number before you start your search.
A buddy. Forward links to your friends before you buy -- they can help you keep your judgment (hopefully).
A stopwatch. Limit your online shopping. As opposed to in-store shopping, online shopping allows you to see much more in a short amount of time. Keep it to one hour, max.

For more tricks and tips, check out Lynnette's blog, The Money Coach.