It seems like an odd situation, but I am suffering a similar issue right now. I have a casual leather belt from Orvis that I wear with jeans and chinos. It is about 5 years old and I love it. It was not super expensive, but it would be hard to replace. Over the past year, as I have acquired more pants in my actual waist size, I have noticed that I am in between notches. My belt begins to ride lower than the button if i wear it on the usual notch, and if i go to the next, it looks awful b/c the front of the belt has this major wear pattern from using the original notch for 4+ years. It doesn't look right, and I am going to have to get a new belt. Sad stuff.