New Year’s Eve is a holiday that is traditionally celebrated by attending or throwing a lavish affair where one can drop hundreds of dollars on tickets, party food and favors, and a new outfit for the evening. While many of us want the excitement of the perfect New Year’s Eve event, our bank accounts may be reeling from our recent Christmas expenditures. The trick to keeping it lavish yet affordable lies in one’s capacity to create a festive party environment that speaks to the glamour of New Year’s Eve. Below are three low cost and kitschy New Year’s Eve party ideas to keep you in budget this season.
Lounge Shoe Party
Every Woman Around Town has a pair of shoes she purchased because they looked gorgeous on the rack, but due to the fact they cause more pain than good, never actually see the light of day (or leave the closet). A Lounge Shoe New Year’s party is the perfect reason to bust out a pair (or several) of your most beautiful yet excruciatingly painful heels. Although this may seem like a concept only appealing to women, entice your male counterparts to join by incorporating a man inspired drink menu. Include the following beverage courtesy of askmen.com.
All Irish Black and Tan
Ingredients:
1/2 pint Smithwick’s Ale
1/2 pint Guinness Draught
To prepare: Add the Smithwick’s Ale to a pint glass, and then add the Guinness by pouring it over the back of a spoon. Sit back, take a sip, and see how long you can last in your shoes.
Pot Luck New Year
This is the type of party I will be participating in this New Year’s Eve. The concept is simple: invite a group of friends over to your house or apartment and ask that each person bring a dish or beverage to the party. Ask in advance what your guests intend to bring so that you can assure a variety of options (one of which must be champagne for that midnight toast). A low cost recipe that will feed a group yet is a bit more upscale than chips and dip is the following 25 minute gem courtesy of Christine L. at AllRecipes.com
Goat Cheese and Arugula over Penne
Ingredients
• 5 1/2 ounces goat cheese
• 2 cups coarsely chopped arugula, stems included
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces penne pasta
Directions
1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
2. Crumble goat cheese into a large serving bowl. Add arugula, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper.
3. Drain pasta, and toss with goat cheese mixture.
Theme Party
Liven up your party by incorporating a theme. My personal favorite is “Two Truths and a Lie.” Each guest comes up with two truths about themselves and one lie. Other partygoers have to guess what the lie is. It’s a great way to get the party started and can be a little racy and a lot of fun.
No Cover Bar Crawl
There are several bars in NYC and DC that are not charging a cover for New Year’s Eve. Do some research beforehand to find out which bars in your neighborhood aren’t charging at the door and create a destination map. Ask your friends to meet up at your house for a pre-game drink and some hors d’oeuvres before hitting the town. Stay at each bar for 30 minutes (unless you find one with great drink specials and lively music). Not only will this save you the hefty price of tickets, but will also inspire you to learn the night spots in your neighborhood. You can create a free map courtesy of zeemaps.com.
Lastly, to ensure the safety of your guests, DC is offering free rides home courtesy of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program. Call 1800-200-taxi for a free ride home (up to $30) between 10pm-6am on December 31st-January 1st. New York City is giving out free single ride Metrocards and free vouchers for $15 cab rides anywhere in the five boroughs. For information on how to get a Metrocard or cab voucher go to about.com.
Have a happy and safe New Year!
