Host a Budget-Friendly Night In for New Year’s Eve

Posted on December 26, 2012 by sroman

Host a cozy New Year’s Eve gathering in your apartment without breaking the bank.

Do you have family and friends in town for a visit? Is it your turn to have the neighbors over for New Year’s Eve? While we may look forward to the celebration itself, planning a party can be daunting if you spent too much over the holidays. But hosting a budget-friendly evening from the comfort of your home or apartment doesn’t necessarily mean handing out paper hats and streamers made from last weekend’s newspaper.

Here are a few tips for hosting a cozy gathering that your guests will remember without spending too much.

Go Potluck
While you should definitely provide a few appetizers and snacks (crowd pleasers like Chex Mix and popcorn cost little and make large portions), ask your guests to bring their favorite dish or cocktail to share. Not only will this save you money, but guests can also bring homemade recipes or unique foods that will start conversations and make your party more personal.

Ask the Experts
If you’re offering alcoholic beverages at your party, stop by your local wine or liquor store and ask for assistance from someone who works there. Mention your budget and ask for a recommendation within your financial limits based on their experience and customer feedback. Many shopkeepers will also help you pair a wine with the food that you’ll serve—and their advice is free!

Get Crafty
The Internet is a treasure trove of decorating tips, how-to videos and DIY advice for party hosts on a budget. Just because decorations are handmade, doesn’t mean they can’t look elegant. For inspiration, search YouTube or Pinterest for party decorations or favors that you can make for your guests and check out popular craft blogs. We found these pretty Clementine candles that would be perfect to illuminate your space or give as gifts.

Use What You’ve Got
Chances are, you already have many items that can help your party feel more festive. Before you put away your holiday decorations, fill clear bowls and vases with your leftover ornaments. Glass balls, tinsel or colored lights in white, silver or blue are always pretty. Keep everything coordinated by selecting only one or two colors to use throughout your space. You can also place shoeboxes, paint cans or containers of different sizes on a buffet or long table and cover them with a tablecloth to create risers for food and serving platters.

With a little planning and some imagination, you can transform your home or apartment into a welcoming atmosphere for an evening of fun! The key to a great party is the guests’ experience, not how much you spend.

Photo credit: iStockphoto/knape

In for the Eve: Create the Ultimate New Year’s Staycation

Posted on December 20, 2012 by jgrimes

Have yourself a merry little New Year’s Eve at home this year.

While friends are out party-hopping, spending $100 per ticket to see a ball, peach or other object drop and trying to find a taxi on New Year’s Eve, you’ll be at home, watching all the action on television. Maybe you don’t feel like fighting the crowds, spending too much money or freezing while standing in long lines, but whatever the reason, the warmth of your living room and comfort of your fleece socks sounds more enticing. Whether you have no parties to go to or just don’t want to leave your house, you can still have an amazing time staying in for the night with our tips below.

Opt for New Year’s Eve kitsch
Stop by your local party supply store and purchase noisemakers, confetti bursts, actual confetti, New Year’s Eve glasses and New Year’s Eve hat – the more outrageous, the better. Invite a friend over for your New Year’s Eve staycation and when the clock strikes midnight, shout “Happy New Year!” and try to set everything off before a minute passes.

Know your shows
Whether you want to ring in the New Year with news, music or actors, television has quite the realm of entertainment to choose from:
• “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012,” 8 p.m. EST on ABC
• “NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly,” 10 p.m. EST on NBC
• “NYE in NYC 2012 Live,” 11 p.m. EST on MTV
• “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin,” 11 p.m. EST on CNN
• “American Country New Year’s Eve Live,” 11 p.m. EST on Fox

Make party-worthy food
Just because you’re staying in doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in delicious party food. Have yourself a merry little New Year’s Eve dip party with crudités, toasted baguette slices and tortilla chips, along with hot corn dip, pan-fried onion dip and buffalo chicken dip. If you’re getting a head start on your New Year’s resolution to lose weight, opt for a vegetable tray, baked corn chips, baba ganoush, red pepper hummus and a lighter hot artichoke spinach dip. For serious indulgence, heat up a delicious pot of cheese fondue, made with Emmenthaler, Gruyere and white wine, and serve it with Granny Smith apple slices, toasted bread and slightly steamed broccoli. Take the whole pot into your living room and enjoy it while watching the New Year’s Eve festivities on TV.

Purchase bubbly, of course
No New Year’s celebration is complete without champagne or sparkling wine. If you’re on a budget, Freixenet Cordon Negro (under $10) and Cavit Lunetta Rose’ ($11) are excellent choices, according to Serious Eats. Make your drink pop by adding a splash of Framboise (raspberry liquor), peach nectar, pear juice, passion fruit juice or kirsch (black cherry brandy), and dropping a whole raspberry in the glass. Alternately, purchase a celebratory beer, such as Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Deschutes Jubelale or Anchor Christmas Ale, which even says “Happy New Year” on the bottle.

Photo Credit: iStockphoto/LuminaStock

Toast to a Rockin’ New Year’s Eve With Our Playlist

Posted on December 13, 2012 by mprice

Make sure your New Year’s Eve party is lively with our playlist.

One of the most important considerations when planning a New Year’s Eve party is making sure that your playlist is on point. You’ll want a great, high-energy mix of danceable tunes that everyone can enjoy, while including a few classics for those who love the oldies and some slow jams for the lovers. So if you’re staying in this New Year’s Eve and are ready to bust a move with your friends, throw on our playlist to keep your guests’ toes a-tappin’.

“1999” by Prince
Even though the year has come and gone, “1999” is a timeless classic and one of the best New Year’s Eve themes because of its overarching “carpe diem” sentiment. Plus, it’s a funky, dance-worthy anthem that deserves a place on any party’s playlist.

“New Year’s Eve” by Snoop Dogg
This breezy, smooth hip-hop song begins appropriately with a New Year’s Eve countdown and is peppered with sound clips of popped champagne bottles. So when this song comes on, do as Snoop does, and grab a glass and make a toast to the good life.

“You Only Live Once” by The Strokes
What better time to consider your mortality than at the dawning of a New Year? This upbeat pop rock song reminds us that you do, in fact, only live once, so best to start living it up while you can.

“I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles
Ramp up the nostalgia factor with this sugary, classic pop song, perfect for friends and lovers on the dance floor. Whether or not you were born in the Beatles era, most everyone can appreciate the sweet sentiment of this song.

“Jaan Pehechaan Ho” by Mohammed Rafi
Fans of indie cult classic “Ghost World” will recognize this song from the film’s opening sequence. Everyone else will probably recognize it from the recent Heineken commercial. In any case, “Jaan Pehechaan Ho” has to be one of the most energetic and happy songs around. You just can’t not dance when this song comes on.

“Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
A classic party rock anthem, your New Year’s Eve gathering is almost guaranteed to transform into an impromptu sing-along when this song comes on. Whether you grew up listening to this song on the radio or are just fondly recalling your frattier years, you can’t go wrong with this feel-good power ballad.

“D.A.N.C.E.” by Justice
French electro house duo Justice is no stranger to making disco-fied club bangers that somehow manage to bring out the dancer in all of us, even your most wallflower-esque friend. This groovy bassline-driven track features a sing-songy kids’ chorus that practically begs you to sing along.

“Rock and Roll All Nite” by Kiss
There’s no pussyfooting around here – with “Rock and Roll All Nite,” Gene Simmons and his face-painted crew single-handedly championed the concept of the all-nighter. While we may not agree with the band’s choice of outfits, we can’t deny that this song will keep your party rocking.

“The New Year” by Death Cab for Cutie
Seattle, Wash.-based indie rockers Death Cab for Cutie turn up the self-indulgent emo despondency on this track that begins “So this is the New Year / And I don’t feel any different.” After several hard-hitting party anthems, your guests might enjoy taking advantage of this break to catch their breath.

“Next Year” by Foo Fighters
Another tender slow song, “Next Year” shows grunge rockers Foo Fighters getting in touch with their softer sides, making it a fabulous choice for your party’s slow dance interlude.

“All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem
Aging hipster James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem reflects on life, love and the importance of friendships in this sentimental dance ballad. Grab all your closest friends for this one, which features lyrics like “And if the sun comes up / And I still don’t wanna stagger home / Then it’s the memory of our betters / That are keeping us on our feet.” Just make sure a box of tissues is close at hand.

“Good Life” by Kanye West
“Good Life” is all about the celebration of finally making it in life, being able to appreciate and afford the finer things while paying homage to where you came from. It’s the perfect popping bottles anthem. So this New Year’s Eve, take heed of Kanye’s advice: “let’s go on a living spree.”

“How Deep Is Your Love?” by The Rapture
New York dance-punk veterans The Rapture are guaranteed to bring out all your guests to the dance floor during this seven-plus-minute disco banger, which ends with an epic saxophone solo.

“It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M.
With all the Mayan doomsday predictions floating around this year, this song by Athens, Ga.-based alternative rockers R.E.M. particularly rings true for 2012, earning it a coveted spot on our playlist. So pour another drink, remind yourself that you’ve lived to see another year and tell yourself “I feel fine.”

“One More Time” by Daft Punk
Quintessential French electronic duo Daft Punk crafted the ultimate celebration song with this worldwide hit. Grab your friends and loved ones, hit the dance floor and party on into the wee hours of the night.

“Auld Lang Syne” by Die Toten Hosen
No New Year’s Eve playlist would be complete without including this traditional Scots-poem-turned-folk-song, sung around the world at New Year’s Eve gatherings. Turn your party on its ear by concluding the night with a fast-paced, fiery version performed by German punk band Die Toten Hosen, who even tosses in a few ad-libbed lyrics.

Photo credit: iStockphoto/knape

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