Every year, we cycle through the four seasons.
And when it comes to winter, that means a few things.
The most important and most obvious is that the weather gets pretty cold, depending on where you live.
People respond to cold weather in many ways.
Some stay indoors more often, some venture out with more layers on.
Still others use it as a reason to hit the malls and buy a new winter outfit, particularly a winter coat.
If you wonder if buying a new coat every year is a good idea, then this article is for you.
I'll go over the basic good and bad points, so you can make a better decision.
One obvious reason for buying a new coat every year is that you'll always be on the cutting edge of the latest fashions.
Nobody wants to wear the same coat every year, especially if the fashions have changed considerably.
If last year's jacket just doesn't seem to fit in anymore, this years latest design can be the perfect remedy.
This is a good enough reason for a lot of people.
One more compelling reason is that clothing technology is always changing.
What may have been the warmest fibers and designs last year may be falling behind the new technology.
With technology changing so rapidly these days, it can be tough to keep up unless you upgrade every year.
Obviously, buying a new coat every year isn't without it's drawbacks.
The most noticeable one is that if you buy a new coat every year, it can get pretty expensive, especially if you buy it in the midst of all the holiday shopping.
If you buy one year after year, you'd be amazed how much it can add up to.
One drawback that most people don't think about, and kind of sneaks up on you, is that pretty soon you start to run out of closet space.
Having a closet full of winter coats that you don't wear doesn't make much sense, especially if they are displacing parts of your wardrobe that you need to get access to on a daily basis.
You might even have to resort stuffing them into boxes and putting them into long term storage, which pretty much means you'll never see them again.
One more reason that isn't usually thought of is that same money you spend yearly on winter coats can be spent more productively one something else.
If you only saved your winter coat money for a few years, you could have enough for a new computer or a new TV.
So which should you choose? One possibility is to compromise.
Instead of buying the latest fashion, spend a little bit more, and buy a really warm, really conservative coat.
That way you won't have to buy a new one every year, as these kinds of coats rarely go out of style.
That way you'll never have to worry about buying a new coat again.