The scramble to sign up for the city’s most fun New Year’s Eve party rarely leaves a New Yorker satisfied. To help guide you through the process, here’s a sampling of what you can expect to get for your money this December 31st in New York City.

Free

For no money at all, you can stand out in the cold all night, buffered by free hot chocolate and the sight of fireworks. Bring a thermos full of hot toddy, surround yourself with friends, and you should be good to go! (Grand Army Plaza, Park Slope, Brooklyn)

The obvious solution to not wanting to brave the cold or shell out tons of cash, hosting a New Year’s Eve party does still entail some spending, but just enough to compensate for yourself and the guests who didn’t abide by your “BYOB” invite. Stock up on cheap champagne, a box or two of wine, and a big box of cheap beer cans, and you’ll make your guests happy. Save the one nice bottle of, well, whatever it is you like, for yourself. (Your place)

Won’t Break the Bank

Dance music set follows dance music set follows electro pop group at this Williamsburg New Year’s Eve party. Usually a crowded concert venue, the Knitting Factory’s Brooklyn location will likely be packed this December 31 into January 1, so it’s all the more likely that you’ll find someone to sloppily make out with at midnight. Tickets are $40 in advance, or $45 at the door. (Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn; 347-529-6696)

An undeniably corny bar that offers a midnight champagne toast after a five-hour open bar, Johnny Utah’s has one major draw—a mechanical bull. If you want to do something you can write home about this New Year’s Eve, this $69 option located by Rockefeller Center isn’t the worst idea. (Johnny Utah’s, 25 W 51st St.; 212-265-8824)

For a similar but more rave-like vibe to the Knitting Factory, you can head further West in Williamsburg to Output. For $80 or $90 (the cheaper “early bird” and “first and second tier” tickets are already sold out), you can curate the kind of crowd you’ll be surrounded by all night—people who love to drink vodka and party in a room with a fog machine. (Output, 74 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn)

Splurge

With a 9 PM to 3 AM open bar, $149 for general admission seems slightly less outrageous for this New Year’s Eve party, especially considering the grandiosity of the venue. Roman columns and high, vaulted ceilings will make you feel even more like you’re swimming in the champagne you’ll get for “free” at midnight. (Capitale, 130 Bowery; 212-334-5500)

Bring your 12 closest friends to this trendy venue to share four bottles of vodka and three bottles of champagne after you all wait in what should be a short and separate priority VIP line. All this for only $289 each! You can always shell out thousands for even more high-end alcohol (think Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut, Belvedere…). (1 OAK, 453 W 17th St.; 212-242-1111)

Photo via Flickr user Anthony Quintano