Have you ever woken up on New Year's Day with vague memories from the night before that involved spending frivolous amounts of cash and making a fool out of yourself due to your overindulgence in alcohol? This can be a terrible way to start a year and this year can be different by hosting a budget-friendly and alcohol-moderated celebration.

Serve Appetizers And Decorate A Table

Purchase and prepare store-bought appetizers that only require you to heat the items up for a few minutes prior to consumption. Make vegetable plates that contain a bevy of fresh, chopped vegetables and spice the plates up by adding handfuls of berries or nuts.

Tell your guests that you plan on sticking solely to appetizers and that they should plan on eating dinner before their arrival. Ask your guests to donate some finger foods if they have a preference or would like to contribute to the party's bounty. Instead of using fancy dinnerware or splurging on new linens and centerpieces, repurpose an old tablecloth and use paper streamers or holiday lights to highlight the edges of the table where food will be served. 

Skip The Hard Liquor

Hard liquor may seem like a good idea when it comes to parties, but people often don't know their limits and can wind up feeling nauseous if they continue to down drinks throughout the festivities. Opt for wine spritzers, sparkling cider, and beer and champagne varieties that contain a low alcohol content.

Even though these options are friendly alternatives to hard liquor, they can still result in intoxication if too much is imbibed. Since you are the host of the party, remain responsible. Vow to only drink a beverage or two after you have consumed plenty of food. Keep track of your guests' behavior and request that people spend the night at your house if they are too impaired to drive themselves home.

Pull The Plug Shortly After Midnight

Casually replace alcoholic beverages with fruit juice, coffee, and tea shortly after midnight. Throw in a couple of plates of cookies or tea biscuits to soak up alcohol that has already been consumed.

If you are wary about your guests' reactions to this bold move, let them know beforehand that you only plan on serving alcohol until midnight and that afterwards, you would like to start the year off on a positive note by drinking other things. This arrangement will allow guests to sober up and will ward off hangovers the following morning. For more information on hosting New Year's parties, contact your local entertainment service.