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New Year’s Eve on a budget means … sticking to budget
By LEANNE ITALIE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — It’s the
party of the year, for those who
like to party, but what happens
when your New Year’s Eve
dreams are too big for your
bank?
There are lots of ways to
cut corners and still have loads
of fun. You need a little imag-
ination, possibly some elbow
grease and the willingness to
compromise.
Among the first things to
consider is budget. Have one
and stick to it, said personal
finance expert Rachel Cruze.
Without a bottom line, she
said, it’s too easy to hop from
shop to shop dropping $10
here and $20 there. And pay
with cash to stay on track.
If the goal is to go out, look
for places that aren’t charging
extra for special New Year’s
packages. Some venues may
be hosting a big-ticket party in
one spot and opening another
area on the cheap.
In Temecula, California, for
instance, the Pechanga Resort
& Casino offers party packag-
es for a set price but opens its
Round Bar area for no cover
and free valet parking. Drinks
aren’t free but there’s a balloon
and confetti drop at midnight.
As for fancy duds, party
attire can be rented and trendy
pieces are plentiful at lower
prices. Or throw a no-pressure
pajama party at home.
The key, overall, when
trying to save your New Year’s
Eve bucks is to forget about
the Joneses, Cruze said.
“Comparing yourself, and
your New Year’s plans, to oth-
ers not only steals your joy but
also your paycheck,” she said.
For families, lots of towns
host inexpensive “first night”
gatherings.
West of Boston in MetroW-
est, for example, there’s an
outdoor event along a local rail
trail. Families sponsor and tend
to bonfires along the route,
supplying marshmallows,
chocolate and graham crackers
for s’mores.
A railway tunnel along the
trail is strung with lights and
local Boy Scout troops provide
hot cocoa and hot dogs as
people of all ages walk, some
draped in strings of Christmas
lights.
Brad Nierenberg, who lives
near Scranton, Pennsylvania,
said he helped throw a bash at
his church last year, ordering
inexpensive party favors
online and using as center-
pieces wine bottles he spray
painted gold and silver to hold
APMARY ALTAFFER
Revelers celebrate as confetti flies over New York’s Times
Square after the clock strikes midnight during the New Year’s
Eve celebration in January, as seen from the Marriott Marquis
hotel. New Year’s Eve is the party of the year, for those who like
to party, but what happens when your dreams are too big for
your budget. For one, money experts say, be willing to com-
promise while still having fun,
similarly painted branches he
collected in his backyard.
They skipped Champagne
and went for ginger ale
instead.
On the subject of spirits,
not all less expensive Cham-
pagnes are swill. And there’s
always the prosecco or cava
options. If you can’t give up
the idea of Champagne alto-
gether and are hosting a party,
do a punch instead of serving
glassfuls.
Depending on your style,
hosting doesn’t have to cost
a lot. Do “sweets and treats”
rather than a full meal, go for
a pot luck or get crafty with
decorations you already own,
said Sara Skirboll, a shopping
and trends expert for the deals
site RetailMeNot.
“Repurpose your Christmas
tinsel and string lights,” she
said. “Tack up some tinsel and
twinkly lights around main
doorways within the party area
or gift wrap a wall for a festive
photo opp.”
Andrea Woroch, a con-
sumer and money-saving
expert, said don’t be afraid to
ask guests to BYOB. Most
of your friends ask what they
can bring, anyway, so why not
say bring your favorite drink,
whether it’s beer, wine or
liquor with a mixer, she said.
“If you prefer to provide
the booze, as many do, don’t
stock a full bar,” Woroch
suggests. “That will become
incredibly pricey, especially
since you can’t predict what
everyone will want to drink
and how much of it they will
consume.”
Pick a signature cocktail
to serve instead, along with
beer and wine. For food, make
it a dessert party or go with a
burger bar rather than multiple
dishes or passed trays. Try do-
ing finger foods and a cookie
swap to help save money.
Looking for a destination
getaway to keep the party
going?
Gregg Steiner in Sher-
man Oaks, California, and
a bunch of friends rent a
house in Northern California
on Airbnb every year and
save a fortune. The cost for
a three-night stay amounts
to about $100 per couple, he
said. They share food, liquor
and other costs among 10 to
20 people.
With the drive north and
other expenses, costs amount
to about $250 per couple, he
said.
“It allows us all to be
together in one big house
instead of several expensive
hotel rooms,” Steiner said.
“It’s fun to be together.”
Maria Velasquez gets
together with friends and
their families every year in
Ringwood, New Jersey, to
rent their local clubhouse
or hall. Everybody brings a
dessert or an appetizer. They
collect $20 or $30 per family
to cover the rental.
They had enough for a DJ
once but otherwise rely on
bluetooth speakers and some-
one’s phone playlist for music.
On decorations and
bubbly, the goal is to spend
less than $100, she said. The
Champagne is enough for a
midnight toast. They usually
have 15 to 25 people, includ-
ing kids of all ages.
“No one shoulders the
financial burden of hosting
the party in their home,”
Velasquez said. “Everyone
pitches in to clean up at the
end of the night and we all
have a blast.”
Book Review: ‘The Platinum Age of Television’ is a must
By JEFF AYERS,
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NPR’s “Fresh Air” TV
critic David Bianculli has been
a reviewer for over 40 years,
and he’s crafted a wonderful
overview of the history of tele-
vision with “The Platinum Age
of Television: From I Love
Lucy to The Walking Dead,
How TV Became Terrific.”
Bianculli loves the me-
dium, and it shows. Rather
than taking a year-by-year
approach to showcase the best
of television, he breaks it down
by genre, including animation,
THE DETAILS
“The Platinum Age of
Television: From I Love
Lucy to The Walking
Dead, How TV Became
Terrific”
Penguin Random
House/ Doubleday)
By David Bianculli
Westerns, spy dramas, medical
shows and crime. He breaks
down sitcoms into categories
such as family and workplace
comedies. Each section chron-
icles the history while also
showcasing those shows that
Bianculli considers ground-
breakers that have established
the genre. Among the shows
he considers the best for the
legal category: “Perry Mason,”
‘’L.A. Law” and “Boston Lega
What makes this book
so much more than an
examination of the history
of TV is the personal touch
that Bianculli adds when he
recounts why he fell in love
with particular shows or how
he was influenced by what
he saw on the screen. He
also interviews the creators
behind the shows he consid-
ers the best of the best, and
getting insight from legends
such as Carl Reiner, Norman
Lear and Steven Bochco
truly captures why television
continues to be the place
where quality writing and
imagination can reside.
The way we watch tele-
vision might be changing,
and there might be so many
choices that nobody can watch
everything. Bianculli reassures
with his examination of the
history of the medium that
there will always be quality
and groundbreaking storytell-
ing. There was a golden age
of television, and he believes
that we are now living in the
platinum age.
This book is a must
for anyone who has been
enthralled by the images and
stories on television.
AP SUBMITTED PHOTO
This cover image released
by Penguin Random House/
Doubleday shows, “The Plati-
num Age of Television: From
I Love Lucy to The Walking
Dead, How TV Became Terrif-
ic,” by David Bianculli.