Cheap Chick on New Years Thrifty Fun

Ring in the New Year without blowing out your bank account with these inexpensive ideas for a fabulous celebration.

Enjoy a romantic dinner at The Melting Pot. For a $125 per couple (not per person) you get a five course fondue dinner, which includes steak and lobster, plus a bottle of Champagne. That’s a good value, especially when you factor in the cost of the Champagne. www.meltingpot.com

If you want an all-inclusive New Year’s Eve package, complete with a hotel room so you don’t have to drive after drinking, check out Kip’s Authentic Irish Pub and Restaurant in St. Louis Park. For $159, you’ll get a room at the Marriot, dinner for two, and two tickets to their New Year’s Eve comedy show, featuring Benny Quash and Michael Thorne. Show tickets alone are $20 a piece, making this package deal very well-priced. www.kipspub.com

Take a New Year’s Eve vacation at Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge. For $40, you get 4 tiki drinks or 4 tap beers, an appetizer, a champagne toast, and a commemorative tiki mug. That is a ton of stuff for $40! They’ll also have live entertainment and a photo booth. Suzi’s is a heck of a lot cheaper than flying somewhere this New Year’s Eve. www.psychosuzis.com

If you’d like to celebrate outside, head over to Afton Alps. Their snow tubing runs are open, and for $18 a person, you can tube for 3 hours. On New Year’s Eve, front lifts and snow tubing will be open until midnight. They’ll also have a live band 8:30pm to 12:30am, a torchlight parade 10pm, and then snacks & party favors from 11pm to 12:30am. www.aftonalps.com

Whoop it up anywhere near our area’s Metro Transit – bus OR light rail – without worrying about designated drivers or paying for a cab. Metro Transit and Miller Lite are offering FREE RIDES on any route operated by Metro Transit, Metropolitan Council, or Minnesota Valley Transit. The free rides start at 6 PM on Saturday, and last until the last route for that particular vehicle. Log on to MetroTransit.org for more details.