New Year’s Eve is fast approaching, and soon we’ll be ringing in a new year with champagne, limos and cigars. Right?
Yeah, not so much. Every time I’ve ever gone out for new year’s eve, it’s been incredibly expensive. New Year’s Eve on the town can costs hundreds of dollars, and that’s if you don’t have to pay a babysitter to watch your kids on the big night.
Image via https://www.flickr.com/photos/smemon/ on Flickr
I’ve never been a huge fan of going out on New Year’s Eve. I find the crowds annoying, the prices insane, and the atmosphere generally overwhelming. I’ve had a lot of fun at home over the past few years during New Year’s celebrations, and I think this can be achieved by anyone frugally if you put your mind to it.
Games Night
Be like the hipsters (who Kali at Common Cents Millennial says we could take a tip or two from) and stay home and play board games on New Year’s eve!
This may not be as “cool” as clubbing, but it’s so much more fun. Invite friends over, pick a few competitive board games (and maybe learn a bit about personal finance in the process), and play away!
To make it more New Year’s Eve-esque, pick up a bottle of your favorite liquor and make it a drinking game. There are even ways to save on booze.
House Party
Even if you don’t want to throw your own house party, there are always a million house parties to attend on New Year’s Eve.
House parties are actually a really great way to meet new people, so I’d recommend bringing a bottle of wine (or, if you are in college, Malibu.. haha) and head on over to a friend’s party.
If you’d rather have control over the festivities, you can throw a party very inexpensively. Ask your guests to bring a potluck dish and bring their own booze, which is very acceptable on New Year’s Eve, and have a fun, cheap New Year’s Eve.
Dinner Party
As I grow older, I find myself loving dinner parties more and more. They are relaxed, fun, and intimate. Perhaps because my preferences tend to lean on the side of “introvert”, I really enjoy having a handful of friends and family members over for some food.
Again, you can keep costs down and keep your new year’s eve cheap by asking everyone to bring a dish or a bottle of wine.
Same goes with a cocktail party.
It’s really not as hard as some people think to find cheap things to do on New Year’s Eve. Avoid the bars, clubs, and casinos, and have your friends and family members come to you to celebrate the new year!
(Staying home or going to a friend’s house is safer, too. No drinking and driving!)
How are you ringing in the new year? Any big plans, or are you having a frugal night?
We go to the movies! A very contrarian thing to do, but almost a tradition for us!
Believe it or not, I never even thought of that. Great idea!
I’m on the same page. I’ve always favored low key events for New Year’s Eve including sometimes just staying at home with family and/or friends.
Yeah, it can be a bit overwhelming going out in the crowds.
My wife and I have done Times Square before in another, younger life. Now we will be staying at home and hanging out with the kids.
That sounds like fun, I’ve never been to NY on NYE.. let alone a busy place like Times Square.
We do the dinner parties. My husband usually goes nuts and has a five course, themed dinner. We’ve done Gatsby, French Riv, and Spanish Harlem. It’s so much fun!
That sounds like a blast. I’ve never considered doing a themed dinner. Great way to celebrate.
Although I prefer parties to going out, I have had good luck having dinner out with friends locally.
Have you had to make reservations far ahead of time to do so? I have tried going out before without one and it just meant really long waits.
I prefer low-key events or going to a friend’s party. I live in NYC and I’ve been roped into trying to go to Time Square even though it never works out because you have to get there ultra early. And it’s usually COLD…I don’t want to stand there for hours! One year, my wife and I went to Central Park where there was some entertainment and fireworks. Other years…just watch the ball drop from Time Square at home or friend/family home.
Wow, lots of NYC bloggers – I don’t really get the whole fireworks thing. I don’t find them that entertaining, haha.
Almost every single year we will go out and buy some sort of all-inclusive package at a bar/club, but I don’t think we are doing that this year. I think we may have a small party at our house. Much cheaper!
Cheaper and to me, much more enjoyable.
I love board games, but rarely take the time to play them. New Year’s is the perfect excuse to sit down and relax around the kitchen table with a game!
So true. Plus you can usually round up enough players for the fun ones.
The pretty typical Kiwi thing is to go away, to the beach or one of the big music festivals! Hopefully the former for us, otherwise we’ll probably be ringing it in at home.
Where would you normally go for NYE?
New Years has always been hyped up to be something bigger and better then it actually is! I remember spending boat loads on New Years because it was supposed to be ‘the best night of my life’. In the end, all I really wanna do is spend it with my family/friends and have 1-13 glasses of champagne.
Dinner followed by board game night wins in my books!
hahah 1-13. I hear ya!
I was never one to go out on New Years and neither was the wife although when she was younger she said she would go to the clubs. Now we just head to a friends house or have a few people come around here for snacks and champagne and good times.. easy peasy and not too hard on the budget.
I used to go to the clubs every once in awhile on NYE. Talk about crowded!
Fall asleep and then be woken up very much against my will to have a glass of champagne and watch the fireworks out the window? …That’s how I’ve played it for the past two years :-S
That sounds like a fabulous new year’s! Haha
I’ve done house parties for New Years just about every year with the exception of one or two. They’re my favorite- not just because they’re cheap, but because they’re fun! Last year I babysat for a New Years Eve party and made $300. THAT was pretty awesome.
I loved babysitting on New Years. That’s what I did last year too. Love making extra money just because it’s a “holiday”.
Oh my gosh, I would love to revive dinner parties. I think the introvert in me agrees with your introvert that they’re awesome. Great idea!
I will be working on New Year’s Eve so no spendy and lots of overtime!!!