Suze Orman Says to Stop Wasting Money on Conveniences. Here's Why I Disagree

It's advice that applies to some people, but not everyone.

Financial expert Suze Orman is a very wealthy woman, but there was a time in her life when she was anything but. In fact, Orman went through a period where she was so broke she had to sleep in her car because she couldn't afford to put a real roof over her head.

As such, Orman is invested in helping people attain financial security and break the cycle of unhealthy debt. To this end, she's a strong advocate of having a solid emergency fund. She even thinks it's a good idea to sock away up to 12 months' worth of living expenses in a savings account.

But while Orman has a lot of great advice for the average consumer, in a CNBC interview, she made it a point to tell people to stop spending money on conveniences. And while that's good advice for some people, it's not necessarily good advice for everyone.

Small purchases really do add up

You might think that the occasional store-bought coffee or takeout order won't have a big impact on your finances. But Orman argues that over time, these small purchases can really add up -- and hinder your financial goals.

She's right about that. It's one thing to order takeout four times a year. It's another thing to order it four times a month. The latter could mean not being able to pay off a credit card balance, or having to drag out paying off a personal loan when it could've been closed out sooner.

But while Orman's advice to not waste money on conveniences is spot-on for some people, it's pretty extreme for people who aren't in poor financial shape. Orman was quoted as saying, "Stop doing the things that's wasting your money and makes your life easier, because in the long run it’s going to make it harder.”

But here's the thing -- if you're doing well financially and meeting your goals, then why shouldn't you treat yourself to takeout if you worked a lot of hours in a given week and don't want to cook? And if you've maxed out your IRA for the year, boosted your emergency fund, and have no debt other than, say, a mortgage, why shouldn't you pay for a cleaning service if you hate scrubbing toilets or don't really have the time for it?

If you're carrying credit card debt and don't have a full emergency fund, then yes, you may want to take Orman's advice and stop spending money on conveniences. And if you have no retirement savings to your name, the same applies. But if you're in a more financially comfortable position, then you've earned the right to use your money to make your life easier.

When small purchases aren't a waste

It's easy to point to things like takeout and rideshare services as a waste of money. But if those things make you happy and make your life more manageable, then they aren't actually a waste, because they're adding value in one way or another.

The store-bought coffee you drink in the morning isn't an asset that can gain value like shares of stock. So it's easy enough to argue that investing $3 a day in the stock market will do more for your finances. But that coffee might do a lot more for your day-to-day happiness and outlook. And you shouldn't discount the importance of that.