New Year’s Eve nights out are recipes for big spending with little to show for it. Costs of cover charges, outfits and drinks quickly add up, closing out the year with financial fireworks that burn you out before you try to make a fresh start.

In a post from a year ago, Mrs. January checked in with advice for an alternative New Year’s Eve that could lower costs and raise your potential for a good time:

* Stay in. If you’ve got a significant other and looking to make the night romantic, you can find more intimacy by staying in and recapping your shared highlights of the past year and hopes for the new one.

* Throw a potluck. You can throw a party yourself, but there’s no need to spring for all the trappings. Scheme out what you’ll need, then tab guests to pitch in and make it all come together.

* Avoid pyrotechnics. Fireworks are expensive, dangerous, and depending on your local laws, possibly illegal. Sparklers are safer, cheaper alternatives that won’t spark phone calls to cops from your neighbors.

Frugal New Years Eve Ideas [Mrs. January]

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