Yes, avocado toast can absolutely hurt your finances. Here's how:

I’ve never had avocado toast in my life, which is why I was surprised to see this peculiar culinary combination plastered online all week. But once I read more, I understood the vexation. A businessman had dared to dish out some truthful, albeit depressing, financial advice, and people everywhere were pissed.

"When I was trying to buy my first home, I wasn't buying smashed avocado for $19 and four coffees at $4 each," Australian millionaire Tim Gurner told the Australian news show "60 Minutes." If young people quit spending on splurges and saved that money, Gurner maintained, they would have more cash to save.

In an instant, the world learned avocado toast was a thing. But many also became angry — angry because they felt avocado toast and fancy coffees were probably the least pressing issues facing today’s youth.

What about the fact that 12.7 percent of millennials were unemployed in September 2016? The fact that average student loan debt is more than $37,000 for new grads? The ever-shrinking incomes of millennials in retail, hospitality, manufacturing and professional jobs?

These are the issues screwing young people out of the American Dream, the masses shouted in a series of web rebuttals, tweets, Facebook posts and memes – not avocado toast. After all, an array of financial misfortunes are hurting much of America, with retailers dropping like flies, slow economic growth and household debt at an all-time high.

More from Holly Johnson: Why her family says "no" to travel sports

More: 5 lies that kept Holly's family in debt

For many struggling with unemployment and poverty, getting ahead is impossible right now. To heck with avocado toast; some struggle to afford toast, and those who are the people who are really hurting.

But, here’s my question: What if this advice had come from someone — anyone — else? A teacher putting kids through college? A firefighter with a new baby at home? A single mother struggling to put food on the table?

How about a suburban mother of two from Central Indiana?

Would you close your mind then? Or would you listen?

While nobody asked for my opinion, I’ll give it anyway: Avocado toast, expensive hobbies, car payments and the other splurges hurt our finances in huge ways. Like it or not, the way we spend makes a direct, irreversible impact on how much money we can save. And perhaps, most of us could save more if we spent less. Gasp!

Read more: What this Hamilton County family gained when they stopped buying expensive cars

Hate what I’m saying? Go ahead and drown me out, but I want you to meet a friend whose opinion on this matter is irrefutable. Meet “Math.”

Math says avocado toast and other splurges can suck your coffers dry. But if you give them up, you’ll have money to save for what you want.

For example, ditch spending $20 on lunch and coffee on weekdays and you’ve got $100 per week and $400 per month to save. That’s $4,800 to save for a home or throw towards those nagging student loans. Do those numbers sound crazy? They’re not. A study says millennials spend 44 percent of their food dollars, or $2,921 annually, on eating out. Imagine what you could do if you saved that money.

The average cable bill costs $103 per month. Drop the television (keep the internet) and switch to Netflix for $9.99 per month instead, effectively cutting your bill in half. Switch your $100 cell service from Verizon to a low-cost provider like Ting or Republic Wireless to save around $70 per month, pocketing $840 in 12 months. Drive your paid-off car instead of trading it in after five years. Pocket your $400 monthly payment for another $4,800 saved annually.

These are just a few ways to save, but you get the point. Look at your bills. Look at your life. While student loans and the economy can make getting ahead more difficult, it’s possible your spending plays a part, too.

If you’re living in true poverty, then most money-saving advice won’t help. But, if you can afford to spend $20 on avocado toast, you can afford to save.

Have questions about living well while spending less? Find Holly Johnson at ClubThrifty.com or on Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook: @ClubThrifty. Her column about frugal living will appear monthly in IndyStar.