Ok, I am a total noob when it comes to blogging. I don't really understand how the whole thing really works, but I have been trying desperately to get a simple standalone blog up and running for cheap, and to make it look good. So, right now, I've followed some instructions about installing MAMP software on my mac and now I have installed wordpress.org software using my mac as the host. However, at the end of this installation, I don't really know what I accomplished because I don't know how to upload what I have to a real domain.

But my real question is, is do I have to buy an actual web host and pay approx. $60 a year? or can I use my mac and this MAMP software as a host, use the wordpress database, and then buy a domain and upload the whole blog to the domain?

Is this possible^ and can ANYBODY give me some sort of guidance to some simple step by step instructions on how to perform these actions? Thank you

If you just want to get a blog up and running, go and sign up on blogger.com or wordpress.com. They host it for you and don't charge anything, and then you don't have to worry about all this stuff!

If you really want your own domain name, then yes, you'll have to sign up for a web hosting plan and also pay to register your domain name, and you'd install the wordpress software on that web hosting account. Most web hosts have a little dashboard program that helps you install stuff like that. It's not that hard.