By Sarah Kempson
It’s about this time every year when I start to panic about my New Years plans. New Year is one of those occasions where in June, I’m considering awesome nightspots, hot clubs and the fireworks in the city but come December I begin to fret that everyone has plans except me and I will spend the New Year alone on my couch. Truth be told, I have never spent New Year alone on my couch (okay, I have spent it on my couch but not alone) and those nights on the couch are actually some of the best New Years I have had. Do we really need venues to charge us $150 just because of what night it is? So you get drinks included, you say? Well, go for it then – if you really think drinking $150 worth of beer will make you feel as though you can justify the cover charge. Come New Years Day, you might be singing a different tune.
As a child, staying up until midnight on New Years was a special treat. I remember falling asleep early year after year and being put to bed only to be told ‘I’ll see you next year’ by my Dad and instantly being wide awake in a panic wanting to know where he was going and why I wasn’t going to see him for a year.
I remember being at my childhood holiday spot, Phillip Island, watching the early fireworks on the foreshore with my family and having fish and chips on the beach.
New Years 2000 – Y2K – camping with my friends’ family at Lakes Entrance and wondering if the world was going to end.
Another year at The Hawthorn (where entry was free) with Uni friends and the DJ counted down to midnight a good 5 minutes before the television coverage did.
Three years ago, sitting on the beach with my oldest friend watching the lightning out over the bay.
Last year, home on my couch watching Sex and the City with two of my closest friends, in our pyjamas, pearls and heels. We lit sparklers on my front porch at midnight and laughed so hard, I cried.
Never a good look…
Given that I have so many wonderful memories of New Years, none of which include a packed venue with half dressed girls and drunk boys, why do I always seek out so much pressure for one single night? Who wants to pay that ridiculous cover charge when all you really need is good friends, family and a reason to laugh? New Years is a time to reflect on the year that was, to celebrate achievements, to forget anything you might regret and make new goals for the future. Why start your New Year hungover (or still drunk), stuck somewhere cab-less? The time to plan is now and here is this Girl Without a Platinum Card’s guide to your best budget New Years Eve plans.
– Find your people. Ditch the guys who have already booked the overpriced venue with the ‘included’ drinks and establish who is still looking for plans. Just cause your mum is the only one left is not a disaster. How long since you called your mum?
– I appreciate that some people don’t want to stay home on New Years. The fireworks in the city are free but remember you will have to contend with hoards of other people with the same plan. Trains are good but remember the midnight crush? Cars are better but you will have to pay for parking. Watching on the TV from the comfort of your own home is best. Someone you know will have a plasma or LCD if you don’t. Get some party poppers for atmosphere and ‘bang’.
– I live near a park. Chances are you live near a park. Pack a picnic rug, a bottle of wine and some cheese. Take your boyfriend (or girlfriend). Look at the stars. Enjoy.
– See above. Exchange park for beach. Take friends. Remember to check rules about having alcohol in public places. Reminisce about all the fun you had this year.
– For all the single ladies, New Years is not an opportunity to kiss anyone come midnight. It’s been (too many years to mention) since I was kissed at midnight at New Years and that old adage about not being kissed for the rest of the year isn’t true. A boy invented it. Do you want to remember the start of the new decade as one where you pashed a random stranger just so you could say you did, or one where you had the most fabulous night with your girlfriends? Pyjamas and pearls really are as fun as they sound. Champagne makes it better. You will laugh until your cheeks hurt.
– Single boys, might be a bit weird if you hang around in your PJs drinking champagne but if that’s your thing, who am I to stop you? Camping seems to be more up your alley. Take your tent and a six pack of beer someplace with trees and your mates. Build a campfire and talk about sport. Only two months ‘til the footy starts again.
A better idea?
Above all, New Years should be a new beginning. It is a chance to put the crap of the past year behind you and embrace all the opportunities of a new decade. No one wants to start their decade in a gutter or stuck on a train. Your best bet for a successful New Year is to spend it with the people who mean the most to you, doing something that makes you happy. The best things in life are, after all, free.
