Consumerist.com is one of my favorite financial blogs. The site provides witty and down-to-earth commentary on personal finance issues and it's one of a handful of sites I try to read everyday.

But I found myself disagreeing with their post 'For those of you who are broke, 5 expenses you can't afford if you have credit card debt'. According to The Consumerist, people in this situation must cut out cable, eating out, recreational shopping, gym memberships, and expensive cars.

Here's why I disagree: If you're in debt and broke, you need to find ways to keep your costs down so you can pay off your debt and start to compile some savings. The best way to do that depends on who you are, and what kind of things give you pleasure and the ability to stay in the fight. Saying that everything should cut back on certain things is akin to saying that Jackson Pollock should have cut back on art supplies when he was broke.
If going to the gym gives you energy, a place to meet people, and self-confidence, cutting it out of your budget would be stupid. You might find your productivity at work decreasing, and you also might have a tougher time meeting someone to spend the rest of your life with -- something that is often key to achieving financial security.

If watching educational programming on television is something that enriches your life, you should keep your cable. If watching wrestling after a tough day at the office helps you unwind -- go for it!

The idea of "The Latte Factor" that has become such a popular concept in recent years is metaphorical. It's not about lattes -- it's about cutting out an unnecessary expense that drains your wallet without you realizing it. For many people, lattes are a perfect example of that. But if a latte really is important to you and, after doing an analysis of how much you spend per year on them, you conclude it's still worthwhile, enjoy them and find another place to cut your costs.

The bottom line is that, to become financially secure, you have to find a way to keep your expenses lower than your income. The best way to do that is different for every person.