When I moved from Los Angeles to Boston ten years ago, I treated myself to a full-length, black cashmere coat by Searle. It cost $900 and it was the most expensive item I’d ever bought.

I felt beautiful and sophisticated every time I wore it. The cashmere was thick and soft. The coat was warm and enveloping. It looked great with jeans and boots, and it dressed up very well. It hung just above my ankles and swooshed when I moved. I loved that coat. Yet despite all of its positive attributes, it has been balled up in a Rubbermaid bin in my attic for the last seven years.

Two seasons after I bought it, the lapels went out of style. The cashmere is still plush. The coat still fits. But I can’t get past those damn lapels. I’m not rich and I’m not impulsive. I thought about the lapels before I bought the coat. I even visited the coat at the store every day for nine consecutive days before I bought it. I though the look was simple enough, classic enough, that I could get nine seasons out of it – one for every $100 I spent. But unfortunately things just didn’t work out the way I expected.

Luckily, I’m resilient when it comes to my wardrobe. The season after I retired the coat, I found another black cashmere in a Barney’s New York outlet store. This one was a car length Calvin Klein. The style was so basic there was no way it could ever go out of fashion. The cashmere was softer than any I have ever felt. The style didn’t wow, but the coat was a classic. I scooped it up for $400. While the Searle was better built, the Calvin was designed to last. I wore that coat for the next five years. My plan was to keep that coat as my staple and add some additional coats to my wardrobe. But the Calvin didn’t make it, and I blame my husband.

Kevin keeps me on a strict budget. Every season he gives me a set amount of money for my wardrobe and I have to buy everything I need with that allowance. It’s never enough money. So for four seasons after I bought the coat, I couldn’t afford another one. I eventually wore the Calvin threadbare. I had the lining replaced and the left pocket repaired but I couldn’t salvage it.

When I finally tossed the Calvin Klein, our financial situation was tight. Kevin told me I could only spend a $100 on a new coat. Despite my loud protests, he told me I could find something at Macys. And I probably could have found an Anne Klein or an Andrew Marc on sale. But I love craftmanship and design and I didn’t think I could find both at the mall.

Throughout the fall I wrapped myself in pashminas and searched the web for a winter coat with no luck. Pashminas were no longer in fashion, but I don’t see how a beautiful piece of cashmere can ever go out of style so I didn’t care.

One afternoon in November, I was in New York for business at the Hotel Gansevoort in the trendy meatpacking district. Outside, the air smelled like snow and the sky was dark by early evening. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep warm in wraps much longer. After my meeting I went outside to hail a cab and I noticed a thrift store across the street. I had the feeling there was something special waiting for me inside. And there was. I found a beautiful vintage leopard coat for $100. My coat problem was solved, I was in love with my new purchase, and I managed to meet my ridiculous budget constraints.

The leopard coat is built like Fort Knox. I can’t imagine it will ever wear out. Nor will it ever go out of style. I already owned a red vintage coat with a black fur collar that I call my “Pat Nixon Goes to Russia” coat. And I own a beautiful pink, orange and brown tweed vintage coat I picked up at the Salvation Army. It has been mistaken on many occasions for a Chanel. None of the coats are as practical as the black cashmeres were. But they are all very well constructed and their designs are classic.

I decided that winter I would never buy a new coat at retail again. I couldn’t possibly meet my requirements for individual style, impeccable construction and unbeatable value. Instead I could build on my coat wardrobe through vintage buys. Since finding the leopard coat three years ago, I have purchased a black wool coat with a fur collar ($14 at Savers), a black faux shearling coat ($15 at Savers), a cashmere camel coat ($9 at Goodwill) and a black military inspired Sonia Rykiel ($7.99 from a smelly thrift store in Chicago).

Now I have a fantastic collection of statement coats. They highlight my personal style and complement every outfit. Plus, Kevin is so pleased I’m bargain shopping, that he is more willing to negotiate when we set my shoe budget every season.