How to Make New Years Eve Plans at the Last Minute (and on a budget!)

God, did even just reading the title of the blog post give you the heebie-jeebies? I mean, last minute new years eve plans? Who does that?

Oh wait, me.

We already went over that though. So enough about me and let’s talk about you. Namely, what to do when you’re a week out from New Years Eve and you realize that you don’t have any plans.

AEO Jeans / J.Crew Peplum Tank / Talbots Plaid Heels c/o

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AEO Jeans / J.Crew Peplum Tank / Talbots Plaid Heels c/o

If you’ve hit this point, I feel like you probably fall into two main categories. Either one, you are apathetic about New Years Eve (welcome to the club) or two, other stuff came up and planning New Years eve fell to the back-burner. It doesn’t matter though, because either way it’s a week out and if you’re reading this post then you probably want to do something the night of December 31st.

So what are your options?

1. Take Advantage of the Last Minute Deals and go on a trip!(medium to high cost)

   Did you know there’s a whole underground world designed around giving last minute deals for New Years eve? I kid you not. In fact, many of the articles suggest that you don’t even start looking for hotels or airfare until today (at the earliest). So ta da! Guess who’s going on an inexpensive New Years Eve vacation? You my friend, you.

2. In the spirit of above, do a staycation! (medium to high cost)

   Book a last minute hotel stay in your own city and have a mini vacation in your own city. It’ll be fun to pretend to be a tourist in your own city.

3. Check out what deals your local theater company has. (low to medium cost)

   I use to work at a theater company that would still have shows running on New Years Eve and you could frequently get rush tickets to those shows. Check out what your local theaters have playing and if they have a New Years Eve show! Their prices may be a little higher, but they might have some special deals or suggestions of discounts you could use.

4. Start your fitness plan early (low cost)

   Yeah, I said it. Get a head start on your New Years fitness plan by signing up for a late night yoga class and ring in the new year with a few vinyasas. Bring a friend along so you can toast to the new year once class is over. You may be rolling your eyes at me right now, but I have done this before and it was an oddly refreshing change of pace.

5. Stay In…but don’t Netflix (no to low cost)

   Invite a few friends over, order food, and challenge yourselves to not turn on Netflix. Instead, pull out the board games (or my favorite Cards Against Humanity and Oregon Trail Card game) and spend the night playing different games.

6. Stay In…and marathon it (no to low cost)

   On the flip side, it could also be the perfect time to marathon a show or some of your favorite movies. However, I wouldn’t suggest doing this if it’s a normal activity. Try to mix it up a little bit and do something different tonight.

If you couldn’t tell, you have a lot of options for last minute New Years Eve plans, but it’s really all about what you try to make of it. Try to find a way to make the night a little bit different from other nights or just a little more special.

But either way, if you end up going to sleep before midnight, know that that’s totally okay too.