18
Mar, 2025
raindrops on black toyota corolla

The Right Car for Me

Personal Finance Week 20 Assignment

This week’s assignment was a little different than the normal writing assignment. I was to find a particular car make and model that would be the most practical for me. I will cover the total cost of the car, the monthly payment I would have to make, and create an estimate of the gas, insurance, repair, and maintenance costs assuming I would drive 12,000 miles a year.

The car I chose: The Toyota Corolla. Here’s why:

The Toyota Corolla is one of the best-selling cars in the world, and for good reason! Corollas are known for reliability, cheap maintenance, and low price.

Here is the total cost for a used 2006 Toyota Corolla S with 90,000 miles. (All prices are approximate!)

List Price: $7,995

Tax: $480

Registration and documentation fees: $200

Insurance: $5,000 per year

Gas: $500 per year

Annual maintenance cost: $500

Total cost for the first year: $14,675

Cost for 2nd year and later: $6,000

Phew, glad that’s over! I had no idea how expensive insurance is!

Loan rate:

For a 4 year loan with a 25% down payment, and a good credit score, the loan will cost $144 per month.

Even though I won’t be driving for another 2 or 3 years, this assignment was still very helpful. I realized how expensive owning a car can be!

It’s Here!!

My new blog is finally here!! And I have decided on a theme………….. It’s going to be Minecraft themed! If you don’t know what Minecraft is, it’s basically a sandbox video game where you can build, mine, craft, fight mobs, create a farm, etc. I’m hoping to make about 2 posts a week, but it will be a bit before I’ll start making regular posts, due to my schedule. The posts will cover the latest Minecraft news, updates, and I’m hoping to do a series of tutorials. I’d really appreciate suggestions for posts and series that I should do, you can comment or email me. Please subscribe if you are interested in Minecraft, or you would like to learn more about it. Thanks!

EDIT: I will still keep this blog up and running, and I think I found the name for it!

You can check it out here: www.emeraldswordgaming.wordpress.com

My Priorities on Buying a Car

Personal Finance Week 19 Assignment

This week, I was to write 200 words on my priories when buying a car. I won’t be able to drive for another 2 years, but it is still important to think ahead.

Here are some of the things I value most in a car:

Price: This is one of the biggest considerations for me. I don’t really want to blow a bunch of unnessesary money on a new car, when a used one would be almost as good, for a lot less cash. Some used cars may even be more reliable than cheap new cars, because cars are becoming very cheaply made.

Reliability: This is also a very important one to consider. If the car initially costs 4 thousand, it may not seem like much. But you have to realize that it may not be very durable, and you may end up paying another 4 thousand (or more!) in repairs!

Gas efficiency: Another consideration that is not to be overlooked! In my situation, it would not make sense at all to buy a gas-guzzling SUV. I’m thinking about a hybrid, as they are much more gas-efficient.

Price Depreciation: A small but still important thing to consider. Price depreciation is when the price of a car goes down over time. Now, I’m not thinking I’m going to get some supercar that keeps its value well. All cars go down in value dramatically, but some more than others. SUVs and electric cars often have higher depreciation than other ones.

Conclusion

My priority is to find a gas-efficient used car that is reliable yet low in price. All I really need in a car is something that can drive me around without costing too much or needing lots of repairs. In next week’s assignment, I will find out what car make and model would be best for me.

Another Announcement

I’m looking for a new name for my current blog. Riding the Riptide is good, but it doesn’t really fit my style of blog. So if anyone has any ideas, please comment on this post.

P.S. I didn’t forget that I said I would start another blog! I’m almost ready, it will probably be done by Friday March 14th! I’ll give more info then in another post.

Taxes Taxes Taxes!

Personal Finance Week 18 Assignment

Well you can probably guess at what this assignment is about! *sigh* Yep, taxes! I’ll be writing my 200 words this week on: What method of preparing my taxes would I choose and why.

There are a few different methods, and I’ll cover the pros and cons of each one and then pick which one I would prefer.

1. IRS Paper Form

Pros:

If you choose to file your taxes the old-fashioned way, you have more control over your results. It is also more secure. It also can be cheaper than hiring a professional.

Cons:

It can be time consuming and tedious!

2. Tax Software (example: TurboTax):

Pros:

It is more simple than the other options.

Cons:

Depending on the tax software you are using, it may not offer all of the options you are looking for. It also may not be as private or secure.

3. Hiring a Tax Professional

Pros:

You have someone who does taxes for a living, so they have lots of experience. They are more time-saving than filing your taxes alone.

Cons:

More expensive than the other options.

Okay, I’ve listed the 3 main ways you can do taxes, and I have to go with the first one. Why? Simply because I don’t have much taxes to file! At my age and income level, the tax form will be very simple for me to fill out. It wouldn’t make sense to hire a professional just to do a very simple form. So when that time does come for me to do those taxes(and I’m guessing it will be sooner than I think 🙁), I’ll be ready!