I’ve been reading a lot of personal finance blogs lately.

I’d like to blog about my finances or my futile efforts at saving – but given my more than normal erratic spending lately, it’ll just be too depressing.

I, like most people was never taught the value of money as a child, my mother’s philosophy to this day remains: “If it’s too expensive, don’t buy it” – which isn’t always practical.

It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized that the idea of saving/investing my money excited me… almost as much as shopping.

Even though I’m a little hesitant to document it, I’d love to start a more clearly defined journey towards financial freedom and build myself a nice nest egg.

The one thing I’ve learnt from these personal finance blogs is that it’s not for the faint hearted; there’re sacrifices to be made and huge lifestyle changes ahead.

I intend to start small; grow my saving a tad more aggressively, research and invest more and most importantly try not to spend more than I own.

For the first time in years, I’ve done up a budget that I want to stick to, I’ve set up precise financial goals, I’ll curtail impulsive spending (like that Marc Jacobs scarf I bought on sale and still haven’t worn a year later), I’ll look closely at my investments and take a more hands on approach at managing them. And above all, I’ll respect my money.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I feel I’m more likely to stick to if I write it out, in a place where everyone can see.

Here are a few PF blogs that I read religiously:

• Give Me Back My Five Bucks

• Million Dollar Journey

• Get Rich Slowly

• Spilling Buckets

• In Debt Because I Like Nice Things

I’m sure there are a lot of personal finance blogs out there for every kind of person – so if you’d like tips on how to save a little more or are just curious, it’s worthwhile to check them out.

As always, use caution.