Throwing a New Year’s party on a budget? Try a cocktail party—plates of hors d’oeuvres are wallet-friendly and easy to stretch to feed a crowd. (And with any luck, your friends won’t be able to tell the difference between expensive and cheap Champagne.)
These cross-backed hardwood bar stools are an easy way to turn a counter or corner into a conversation space. At Target, a set of two is on sale for $118.98, more than $50 off the original $169.99 price. And more good news—they ship for free.
A cheese fondue with bread and veggies—or a rich chocolate version with fruit and cake—doubles as food and entertainment. Crate & Barrel’s sturdy cast-iron black-and-white fondue pot has been marked down from $49.45 to $39.95. The set includes a stand, burner, and eight color-tipped forks.
Store-bought snacks like spiced nuts, chocolates, stuffed olives, and dried fruit take on new life in molded serving bowls—like this star-shaped version from Pottery Barn. The white ceramic bowl has been marked down to $13.
Two pretty Anthropologie cocktail glasses caught our eye. The Clarissa Champagne flutes are $8 each; they’re perfect for a midnight toast, with a dab of color in a spherical scalloped base. And the vintagey Noble Morn glasses ($6 each), with their jeweled tones, fleurs-de-lis, and slightly-bigger-than-a-shot size, would be great for serving small cocktails.
