So, you’re throwing a New Year’s party but your bank account is still roughed up from all the holiday gifts you bought. Sure, you want to de-stress and let loose around your friends after the holidays, but it’s hard to feel generous with a dwindling bank account. We feel you. We decided to try to put together a party for six to eight people that comes in under $100. The best place to do it? Trader Joe’s. Here’s how we broke it down.
Alcohol
Let’s start with the real MVP of a New Year’s Eve party: booze. It’s what most of your guests will be looking forward to and also the most expensive. We’ve budgeted enough for everyone to have a few drinks as the night goes on, but if your guests want to get crazy, we suggest you tell them to BYOB.
You’ll need enough bubbly to make sure everyone can have a glass or two, a beer option and a red wine option. Here were our favorite finds at TJ’s.
- Four bottles R.S.V.P. Sparkling Brut, $7 each ($28 total)
- One bottle Moon X dark-red blend, $7
- Two packs Simpler Times Pilsner (six-pack), $3.50 each ($7 total)
Total cost for alcohol: $42
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Nonalcoholic beverages
It’s also a good plan to have something festive for the designated drivers, pregnant women or people who just prefer to stay totally sober. Trader Joe’s had lots of affordable options here, but to keep it simple, we recommend these two:
- Two bottles Trader Joe’s Raspberry Cranberry Spritzer, $2 each ($4 total)
- Two bottles Trader Joe’s Sparkling Apple Cider, $3 each ($6 total)
Total cost for nonalcoholic beverages: $10
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Snacks
It’s a good idea to have a nice variety of snacks people can nosh on all night. The best options here are the classic cheese and guac with some fancy crackers. Here’s what we recommend.
- Trader Joe’s Wild Blueberry Vanilla Chevre, $4.50
- Trader Joe’s A Real Crowd Cheeser cracker-cut cheese, $4.50
- Trader Joe’s Chunky Spicy Guacamole, $3
- Trader Joe’s Scalloped Cracker Trio, $4.50
Total cost of snacks: $16.50
Mini meals
It’s also a good idea to have a few heartier snacks that serve as a kind of mini-meal, particularly when people are drinking. If you’ve got access to an oven, Trader Joes has some really excellent semi-fancy treats that require zero prep work from you.
- Two Pizza Parlanno, $5 each ($10 total)
- Two Trader Joe’s Pastry Bites with Feta Cheese & Caramelized Onion, $5 each ($10 total)
- Trader Joe’s Parmesan Pastry Pups with beef franks, $4.50
Total cost of mini meals: $24.50
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Sweet treats
Last but not least is a little sugary somethin’.
- Trader Joe’s Sugar Glazed Mixed Nuts, $4
- Trader Joe’s Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (makes 16 cookies), $3.50
The glazed nuts can hang out on the table with the small snacks all night, but we recommend either popping the cookies in before your guests arrive or after the mini-meal treats. There’s nothing quite like the whole house smelling like cookies.
Total cost of sweet treats: $7.50
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