Finding the Right Car

Finding the Right Car

By Erin

*This is a Sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

One of the biggest purchases we make in our lifetime, is with our cars. It takes a lot of planning, saving, and deciding what you can and cannot live without when it comes to all the extra fancy features that are available these days. Car buying can be fun and exciting, but also stressful in trying to figure out exactly what you want. It takes a lot of planning and research to find the one that’s just right that you will be happy with for many years to come.

I recently made the leap and bought my first ever brand new car. I have only had used ones in the past. I ended up choosing the Prius Prime Advanced. Here are some tips on how I chose the car that was right for me.

Research

One of the first and most important things you need to do is research, research, research. When it came time to purchase my Toyota Prius Prime, I considered so many different things. First, being in Southern California and how bad traffic has become, I wanted something that got amazing gas milage (the Prius Prime gets 54 MPG/133 MPGe) Second, it was important to me to have something with a lot of safety features. Third, it needed to be comfortable with enough space in the back to hold all of my horse stuff and for road trips to hold all of our luggage. Fourth, it had to be affordable (with the Prius Prime you can get up to a $4,500 federal tax credit when buying new). I did a lot of researching online, and a lot of friends and family gave me their advice. Cars.com is a wonderful site you will want to check out when it comes time to research and find the car that’s right for you.

Budget

The next thing you need to do before you really start looking and get your heart set on something, is to know what your budget is before committing to a car purchase. I’ll admit I spent a little more than I would have liked to with this one, but I also could afford it in the long run. Don’t forget that buying a car includes more than just the car loan, but you also need to keep in mind and remember to include the price of registration, insurance, gas, extended warranties, maintenance and more.

Test Drive

Always be sure to test-drive a car before buying. You want to make sure it is comfortable and easy enough for you to handle. You don’t want to end up with something you hate driving or is difficult for you to maneuver around.

Optional Extended Warranties and Care Packages

Make sure to look into this and make sure you include this in your budget! This is where it got me. I had not thought too much of this, until I thought of how expensive it would be to replace all of the fancy gadgets that I was getting in my vehicle. Since it is very high tech, with a lot of computers and things like the 11.6-in. HD multimedia display that you see above, they would be very expensive to replace, so it made a lot of sense for me to get this.

Don’t settle

This was the hardest part for me. I didn’t want to settle. This is where it really pays off to do your research. Since I did my research, I was able to get the car I wanted, at a good price, in the color I wanted.

Benefits

Are there any perks or financial benefits you will get for purchasing one car over another you are looking at? This was a huge factor for me, and one big reason I went with buying new versus buying used. With the Prius Prime, I can get up to a $4,500 Federal tax credit, I can apply for a Clean Air Vehicle Sticker to be able to drive in the carpool lane when I am alone in the car, along with many other state benefits for having a clean air vehicle. The other car I had been looking at, the Camry Hybrid, didn’t offer any of these perks, so it was a no brainer to go with the Prius.  

What do you look for when buying a car?

Knott’s Merry Farm: The Top Seasonal Foods You Need to Try

Knott’s Merry Farm: The Top Seasonal Foods

By Erin

*We received media passes for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

Joy is in Season at Knott’s. Through January 7th, Knott’s Merry Farm provides all the joy you need that is the perfect backdrop for your family’s Holiday memories. Surround yourself with the glorious sights, sounds and scents of the holiday season. Everyone can embrace the joy of Christmas at Knott’s Merry Farm, with classic shows like the Holiday Ice Show featuring Snoopy, the Peanuts gang and a cast of world-class ice skaters, the nightly tree lighting ceremony and The Christmas Carol. Plus stroll through the merry streets of Calico for unique seasonal treats, Santa’s Christmas Cabin, traditional live Christmas Carolers, a Christmas crafts village, an enchanting Snow and Glow show with nightly falling snow, and so much more.

One of the biggest things about Merry Farm to enjoy is all the delicious seasonal foods that you will not want to miss out on. You will see and smell these tasty delights throughout the park, so I will let you in on where to get them and what we enjoyed the most.

Candy Cane Holiday Churro- Gourmet Churro Factory

 Chocolate Dipped Cheesecake- Santa’s Christmas Cabin

Beef and Chicken Tamales- Santa’s Cabin and Cantina

Holiday Pizza- Hollywood Hits

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Disney•Pixar’s COCO 

Disney•Pixar’s COCO

By Erin

Disney•Pixar’s COCO is now playing in theatres everywhere! Also, for a limited time only, you can see the brand new Walt Disney Animation Studios’ featurette OLAF’S FROZEN ADVENTURE playing in front of COCO only in theatres! Both of these films are the perfect way to start the holiday season! They will give you all the warm and fuzzy feels.

In COCO, Miguel is an aspiring singer and self-taught guitarist who dreams of following in the footsteps of his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, the most famous musician in the history of Mexico. But Miguel’s family forbids music. Many years ago, his great-great-grandmother and great-great-grandfather came to an impasse: She wanted to raise their family together in Santa Cecilia, but he couldn’t let go of his dream, leaving his family behind in his quest to be a musician. Passed down from generation to generation, great-great-grandmother Mamá Imelda’s consequent ban on music is strictly enforced—much to Miguel’s dismay. When Miguel unearths a secret from his family’s past—a connection to Ernesto de la Cruz, he rushes to share the news with his family, thinking it will clear the way for him to be a musician. Unfortunately, it only makes matters worse. Miguel feels like he has to choose between his passion for music and his love for his family. Miguel wants to prove to his family that making music is both beautiful and honorable. We follow Miguel as he follows his heart and his dreams.

NO MUSIC – Miguel challenges his family’s generations-old ban on music, spending time with a local mariachi. But his grandmother Abuelita promptly puts a stop to it.

A magical event is sparked by Miguel’s impulsive actions that renders him visible only to those who have come to visit from the Land of the Dead on Día de los Muertos. This world is a beautiful, lively and colorful parallel world that is populated by generations and generations of people who long ago left the Land of the Living, including Miguel’s own ancestors, who instantly recognize him and offer to help—but only if he agrees to give up music forever. Miguel ends up running into and teams up with a scrappy, streetwise skeleton named Héctor and they set out to find Ernesto de la Cruz—who they believe holds the key to Miguel’s baffling and decidedly unmusical family history.

What happens next? Well you will just have to go see the film now won’t you? 😉 I do not want to give away all the magical twists and turns and melt-your-heart moments. However, I will leave you with some fun tidbits about the film and some cool things to look for and take notice of in Coco!

Miguel’s love of music ultimately leads him to the Land of the Dead where he teams up with charming trickster Hector.

THEM BONES – Look for the very subtle nods to the skeleton residents in the Land of the Dead, like the cobblestone streets that feature some bone-shaped paving stones.

CHANGE OF PLANTS – Artists at Pixar Animation Studios like to add vegetation—grass, trees, bushes—to exterior environments, but “Coco” filmmakers wanted the Land of the Dead to be different. The only living plants in the vibrant fantastical world are marigolds.

• During research trips to Mexico, filmmakers learned that the color and aroma of marigold petals are believed to help guide the spirit of a family’s loved one home during Día de los Muertos.

Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) finds himself in the Land of the Dead—a rich and vibrant community featuring bridges of marigold petals.

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