After the craziness of Thanksgiving and Christmas, you may not want to even think about New Year’s Eve. But the New Year is coming and so are the parties to celebrate. Use these New Year’s Eve budget party ideas so you don’t destroy your already stretched budget.

You may not be able to travel to Time’s Square to watch the New Year ball drop, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the holiday in style. Ask friends and family to join you at your home to watch the live television broadcast. You’ll be much warmer and will have everything you need right at hand.

Decide on a budget for your party. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have friends and family over. If you let those attending help supply some of the party’s needs, it can drastically reduce how much your party costs.

Ask everyone on your list to help with the food and beverages. You may think it seems ungenerous to have a pot luck New Year’s Eve party, but it’s a great way to have a party on a budget. Everyone else just celebrated Christmas, too, so they will probably be more than happy to chip in.

Disposable plates, glasses and silverware may seem ‘cheap’ but who wants to spend January 1 washing a ton of dirty dishes? You can find holiday and plain party items at most dollar stores and the price is low enough not to break your budget. Be sure to get at least twice as many as you think you’ll need so people can go back to the food table for seconds.

Break out the board games while you’re waiting to ring in the New Year. Set up several games on different tables throughout the home. This will give everyone a couple of choices of games to play. If your guests have children, ensure you have children’s games for them to play as well.

Choose simple decorations. Fancy balloons and streamers are all fine and dandy if you have the money for them, but they’re not a necessity. Make a DIY “Happy New Year” sign or don’t have decorations at all. It’s not likely anyone will complain because there were no decorations.

These New Year’s Eve budget party ideas are pretty universal. You can enjoy friends and family without having to go broke. Set a budget and stick to it. These simple ideas will keep every party you throw be fun without your having to worry about the cost.

Members to ListPlanIt will find the lists they need in Holidays & Occasions to plan for an extraordinary holiday season.  Not yet a member?  Join today and get organized for planning the new year.  And make the most of 2016 with the 100 Days of a New Year 2016 eBook.  Available now!