So far we’ve spent 2 birthdays each with one another, and with every year our relationship seems to get much more permanent. I know this shouldn’t just be dawning on me now, but if all goes to plan I’m going to be spending all of my birthdays with Matt. It’s a really comforting thought, but it’s also a bit scary.

On the one side, it’s really comforting because, well, let’s face it, nobody wants to die alone. I sleep better at night knowing that there’s somebody who’s going to love me when I’m old and wrinkly. On the other side, it’s kinda scary because, while I’m getting older, I still feel really young. Trust me when I say there are a lot of people who think I’m crazy for being committed to someone in my very early twenties. What if they’re right?

Well guess what, peoples of the internet: I don’t care what you think. I’m going to enjoy every single birthday I can with my boyfriend whom I love very much. From where I’m standing, there’s nothing wrong with two consenting adults falling in love. I don’t understand why people treat me like a doe-eyed 16-year-old girl when in fact, I’m a woman. I’ve had failed relationships, and I’ve learned from them. I know deep down that Matt’s the only person I want to spend the rest of my birthdays with. (And who I want holding my hair back on this particularly monumental one…)

If not this birthday, then which birthday will it be that people decide that it’s finally a-ok for me to be in a serious relationship? I get the feeling that the jury is out on that decision, so I’m going to go on with my life without caring what all the negative people think. or all those others who read this weekly dose of cuteness, thanks for being supportive; it’s really appreciated. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get a drink that I’ve waited 21 years to buy.

(OK, I’m gonna order the drink I’ve been waiting 21 years to buy and have my loving BF pick up the tab…. it is my birthday, after all.)

There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Zappos…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like DailyLit, Voyij and ShopStyle). And more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

It’s only halfway through the semester, Spring Break can’t come soon enough and the stress of midterms is really starting to get you down.  What could make you feel better on a particularly stressful day than getting your drink on before dinnertime? Yes, I’m talking about everyone’s favorite time of day: happy hour.

I love happy hour; one reason obviously being the no cover charges and cheap drinks (something broke college students have to take as much advantage of as possible), and also because it’s an excuse to get some beer in my system before I sit down to that frozen dinner (like any of us really needed one).  But while I love my favorite go-to bars, sometimes they can get pretty old, and I’m always looking for new places to go.  And thanks to the nifty website MappyHour.com, I’ve found lots of new bars to try out.

MappyHour combines two of my favorite things: Google Maps & happy hour (in case it wasn’t obvious from the title, MappyHour= map + happy hour).  Type in a zip code or click anywhere on the map to center it and show the 50 closest happy hours in that radius (indicated by cute little beer glasses).  Click on an icon to get more information, such as links to reviews and ratings, happy hour times and specials.  The site is driven a lot by user-submitted content, so if the specials for a particular bar aren’t listed, you can contribute to making the site better by adding the info yourself!

You can also find new bars based on MappyHour’s similar-tastes meter.  If you create your own profile and rate different bars, when you do a search, the bars are listed with red (negative) or green (positive) meters next to them.  These indicate that you may or may not like a particular bar based on other people’s ratings.  So if you and Jane Doe both rate a particular bar highly, you’ll get positive taste-meter ratings for other bars she has also rated highly.  It works the opposite way too, and you can choose to avoid bars similar to ones you’ve rated negatively.

Brilliant? Brilliant!

With over 45,000 worldwide locations in MappyHour’s database and new ones being added all the time, you’re sure to find a few great places to try!

Whoops, sorry thighs.

Don’t hang your head for too long, though; this recent article is shedding some light (and great effing news) on the subject. After conducting a study with almost 20,000 women, it states “those who drank more actually ended up weighing less over the course of 13 years.”

No that is not a typo; that does say LESS!!

Although I wanted to go buy a Margarita at Chevy’s immediately after hearing this, it’s a little hard to believe. You mean a Margarita a day keeps the thunder thighs away? Maybe not, but here are some other reasons we think this could be true.

Dancing burns calories
Toss back a few drinks and you want to dance for the rest of your life. You’re apt to ‘mixing it up’ and busting out new dance moves to impress the crowd. You are Tina Turner. Your dance partner is Prince. The dance floor is your stage, the DJ your own personal SirMixAlot. That sweat pouring down your face and taking your bronzer with it is no big deal. If this workout sesh doesn’t burn off all those beer calories, I don’t know what will.

Less pre-drunk eating
We never want to eat within 3 hours of drinking so we can get drunk faster, thus ingesting less calories and spending less money (double score!). And that 3-hour late night Nacho-Fest doesn’t count because, well, you haven’t eaten in 7 hours and you’ve been dancing all night. And besides, you didn’t drink too much in the first place so it all evens out in the end.

More post-drunk action
The late night makeout session with your boyfriend (or new friend) after drinking not only keeps you from indulging in a large Domino’s pizza all by your lonesome, but also burns some major calories. Especially after a few vodka tonics and you feel like you were reincarnated as Jenna Jameson. All those fancy new moves, the strip tease, and doing it all again a few hours later is one. major. workout.

The Next Day is sprinkled with guilt
Sunday morning is usually infested with post-drinking guilt. “You mean I had that many shooters? You can find me at the gym for five hours.” You try to burn off as many calories as you can, and leave the workout room smelling like vodka-sweat. It may be gross, but some of my best workout sessions really do come after a long a night of drinking.

I’m willing to bet you won’t hear it from Dr.Oz, but you heard it from me – more drinking means more weight loss.  Why do you think they call it a six pack?!

It’s Thursday night, 8:00 PM. Most kids on my campus are pre-gaming in their rooms watching the new episode of The Office, but I am sitting half-comatose in a giant lecture hall, taking notes on Neo-freudians. It’s my own fault for picking such an unfortunately scheduled class, but I still silently curse my Ben Stein-clone of a professor as my phone vibrates for the tenth time since class started. Expecting another “where are u? we’re drinking at Kim’s apt, come!!” text, I glance down at my phone, instead seeing a blinking message: CANNOT RECEIVE MESSAGE. MEMORY FULL.

Frantically, I scroll through my texts, looking for one to delete. I keep scrolling… and scrolling… and then I’m at the end of the list, unable to delete even one. It’s weird, but there are just some texts I can’t bring myself to get rid of. And I know I’m not the only one.

1. The Sweet Text from your Ex: “hey babe. cant wait for tonite. love u and miss u.” It’s a reminder that the jerk we broke up with really was a nice guy, despite it all. He was capable of saying cute things every now and then, he was romantic when it counted, and those cute texts really had the power to make a sh*tty day wonderful…(and okay, maaaybe we also have a slight fear of never having a boyfriend again, so we keep this text as a constant reminder that, hey, at least somebody loved us once).

2. The Barely Comprehensible Drunk Text from your BFF: “omg so ducking drunk. Wher? are u. did I just make out with dave in front of everybodny?” It’s just too fun to whip this one out at brunch the next morning and read aloud to your best friend as she buries her face in shame. We look at these hilarious texts during our Wednesday four-hour bio labs to remind us that the weekend will make all the hard work we’re doing now totally worth it. But most of all, we keep these texts because it’s a reminder that no matter how wasted she was or who she was with when she typed it out, she still had you as a priority, and that’s what a best friend is all about.

3. The Cheesy Yet Cute Text from Your Rents: “Hi honey! Miss u! Hope u r having a good week! Talk 2 u soon! I luv u!” As much as we love school, let’s be honest— we can get a little homesick from time to time. You look at these texts on those days when you wake up with a stuffy nose, you’re late to class, you fail a quiz and you’re PMSing at the same time as your roommates. When everything is going wrong and it seems like the world hates you, at least you can always read that text and know that Mom or Dad love you, no matter what. And it’s always amusing to see that they typed ‘2′ instead of to. They must think they are soooo hip.

4. The Hilarious Booty-Call Text from Some Dude: “hey let’s meet up. ur sex is on fire.” OMG this one is just.too.good. Especially if we have decided to stay in that night to work on a paper that’s due Monday so we are stone-cold sober, sitting on the couch in our sweats when we receive it. Out of context, we realize just how ridiculous this random dude is; he really expects us to go hook up with him just because he tapped out a lazy text and recited some song lyric??? If anything, we keep this one just to remind us on our “fat days” that, yeah, we’re hot, and yeah, some guy does want to make out with us, no matter how lame he is.

5. The Thank You Text from Someone Who Needed Us: “hey i just wanna say thanks for last night, i don’t know how i would have made it home without u.” We save this one because it reminds us how good it feels when we are that person to help someone in need. Whether we were holding someone’s hair back while they puked into the toilet, or holding someone upright as we walked them home from an epic party, we’ve all been there. It feels nice to look back on the gratitude every now and then, even if you didn’t know the person very well. And it’s also a reminder that one of these days we are going to be the ones waking up still drunk at 3PM and sending out the same text to someone who helped us the night before. Sometimes you’re the drunken mess and sometimes you’re the hero – and it’s nice to be the hero!

Even Quatchi wants to play!

Why do we love the Olympics? Is it the patriotism? Is it the two week long parade of international hotties? The never ending supply of Lifetime movie-worthy inspirational stories? The adrenaline rush of nonstop athletic competition?

If you’re like us at CollegeCandy, the answer is a big Y-E-S to to all of the above. But in case you’re an Olympic skeptic, we’ve got the perfect drinking game to get you in the spirit and have some fun with the ’round-the-clock coverage soon to take over a television set near you.  (Not like you needed an excuse to party every night for two weeks, right?)

What you’ll need:
A television set
A few copies of these rules
A bevy of your closest/rowdiest friends
Your drink of choice!

The Rules:
There are three categories for the game, which are self-explanatory and are as follows: Take a Drink, Take Two Drinks, and Finish Your Drink.

Take A Drink when:

* A competitor from your country takes the ice/slopes.
* Bob Costas appears.
* You hear the phrase, “[Insert athlete name here] is a superstar in his/her homeland.”
* You hear the phrase, “a truly inspirational story.”
* The camera pans to an athlete’s family members in the crowd.
* You hear the words “determination,” “focus,” “stamina,” “speed,” or “grace”
* Scenery from Vancouver is shown.
* There are flashbacks to Olympics of years past.
* It’s snowing.

Take Two Drinks when:

* A national anthem is played.
* A male figure skater’s costume has as much, if not more, sparkle than his female partner.
* A competitor scores a new record for his or her country.
* An athlete wins his or her second (or third, or fourth, etc.) Olympic medal. Take a third drink if it’s a multiple within this Olympiad.
* Any segment on Canadian/Vancouver culture is shown.
* Someone younger than you wins a medal.
* There’s a crash!
* There is a video montage of an athlete’s story of overcoming adversity (poverty, an injury, etc.)
* Any final is decided by less than a second (i.e. if a speedskater wins by 0.35 seconds) or less than a point.
* A skater lands a quadruple jump.

Finish Your Drink when:

* A world record is set.
* A competitor from your country wins gold.
* Anyone representing a “non-wintery” country (think: Jamaican bobsled team) wins a medal.
* Someone receives a perfect score.
* Curling is on (it’s the only way to get through it, really)

Most importantly, remember to drink responsibly!

It’s not that I haven’t been invited to these parties before. I nearly went to one during the first few weeks of freshman year, but decided last minute not to go when I realized that my denim mini skirt was about three inches longer than anything the other girls were wearing, and that, considering drinking really wasn’t my thing, I probably wouldn’t be comfortable.

Yeah, I know. I’m from a city that has more bars than traffic lights and go to a school that was ranked number one on Playboy’s list of top party schools, yet I don’t drink. Or party – in the traditional sense, anyway.

I’m not opposed to drinking,  I just never really saw the point and never liked the taste. Apparently, that’s not the point either, but I digress. I’ve been around friends drinking and had just as much fun without the liquor as they seem to be having with it. Hell, sometimes I even end up acting a bit crazier than they do. Like last year’s end-of-the-semester/good-bye party for a friend of mine who was studying abroad in the spring, where I had cranberry juice instead of sharing the wine and vodka. By the end of the night, I’d joined in the crazy dancing, given my friend (who’s gay) a lap dance, and was cuddling with said friend on his roommate’s bed. I also go out dancing most weekends and after about three hours of shaking my bon bon, the only drink I want is a tall glass of water.

But, like I said, I’m not opposed to it; I’ve tried it a few times, usually with the same results. It often just tastes like really bad medicine to me and I can’t see why I should choose that over my favorite fruit juice or water. I can have just as much fun as anyone else without the booze, and, as I like to remind them all later on, I remember everything the next day.

With some friends, this isn’t a problem. We can hang out with some people drinking, some not, and no one will care; everyone has a good time, and that’s all that matters. Others are apprehensive about drinking around me; they almost seem to think that I won’t approve of their choice to “indulge” (as my semi-formal date put it). The worst, though, are the people who give me a hard time.

“What do you mean you don’t drink?”
“You just haven’t had the good stuff. Try (insert drink here).”
“Just wait, one of these days we’ll get you drunk.”
And when I started at UM, I received countless renditions of: “So, are you a raging alcoholic yet?”

Even my “sober buddies” from high school eventually started drinking and now go on (and on and on) about how lame my life and weekends are because I don’t get drunk, and all the fun I’m missing out on as a result.

The worst is that I’ve been dealing with this since the first time in high school (or maybe middle school, as sad as that is) that I turned down a drink. People never seem take no for an answer, no matter how polite or forceful I may be, or how many times I say it. And my refusing the drink is always some sort of personality flaw, a problem with me that they need to fix. I need to “loosen up,” “give it a try,” “have fun,” “just cut loose and get totally sh*tfaced.”

I really don’t understand why my deciding not to drink is viewed as this horrible thing. It’s not like I sit around and refuse to participate in anything my friends are doing just because I’m sober; when I’m around and friends are drinking, I’m fine. Actually, I’m more than fine. I’m fun! But while some friends have learned to accept that, others consistently are trying to “fix” my “problem.” Because, obviously, I’m atypical for a college student, and being so is this horrible thing that needs to be corrected.

But really, it’s unfair. Do I go around telling people to stop drinking? Or pulling away their cups? No. I laugh, I dance, I hang out and have a good time. In fact, the only times I’ve every done that is when people needed it (usually when they reach depressed drunk/projectile vomiting/their fifth drink on a school night). Otherwise, I have my cranberry juice, clink glasses, and have a good time.

And maybe take a few pictures.

Unfortunately my required outfit is less extravagant

Giving up my nights out was not something I was especially prepared to do when I started scouring my college town for a job; who wants to be folding clothes amidst an asthma-inducing Abercrombie cologne cloud late into the evening when your girls are out at $1 pitcher night? Nobody.

That’s why I became a cocktail waitress.

Well, that and I heard Tiger Woods George Clooney was fond of them.

Naturally, I see a lot of…er… interesting, for lack of a better word, things during the late night shifts. Things that I know I’ve been guilty of doing, and that all you CC ladies are probably guilty of, as well. Believe me, your signature twist+bend and snap combo dance moves do not look as sexy as you think, even if that drunk frat boy tells you they are. And as good as Journey is, “Don’t Stop Believing” is not “the best song of all effing time!!”

Because our thoughts tend to be a little muddled when we’re a few sheets to the stale bar air wind, I thought I’d help everyone see just what a typical drunken night is from a more honest (read: sober) perspective. So join me as we analyze things (hey, we’re all friends here!) from both sides of the crowded bar.

Your Point of View: It’s 11:00pm and you and your friends raced into the bar in 5 inch heels because it’s winter in the Midwest and coats are a pain in the buttcheeks to carry around. The warm air inside brings out a sigh of the relief.

My Point of View: GIRL you must be KIDDING. IT’S WINTER IN THE MIDWEST! Except I’ll tell you that I never wear coats out either and no, your nose isn’t running that bad! Oh, and that happy sigh you made when feeling came back to your fingers sounded more like a cross between the sound I make when I see spider (EEEE!) and when I see a hot Mexican with a beard (ughhhYES).

Your POV: Shots! Shots! Shots! Shotshotshots! I LOVE shots and I LOVE this song!

My POV: I would literally be a millionaire if I got a dollar every time someone ordered shots from me in that manner. A billionaire if I got an additional dollar every time people sang that just to get my attention and then order something completely different.

Your POV: Cutie alert at  ‘clock! Take a quick selfie to see if you’re still looking as hot as you were when you left.

My POV: Much like how a car loses value when you drive it off the lot, all of the effort you put into looking good starts to depreciate when you walk in the bar. There’s no way around it. It’s going to be hot, you’re going to sweat, your perfect hair poof is going to fall flat (unless you’re Snookie, of course), and drinks are going to fall on you. Let’s just all take a second and give thanks to the very forgiving bar lighting.

Your POV: Yes, 4 0′clock cutie noticed you. He walks over, says he remembers you from class, and buys you a drink. Things are going great, so great that you invite him on the dance floor. And if his moves are good (and he buys you a few more rum and diets), maybe you’ll invite him back to your apartment.

My POV: First off, he does not remember you from class. He just chose a random gen ed, like Elementary Psych, because it has 500+ people in the lecture and there was a good chance you took it too. Second, his moves are def not good, but in the back of your head you knew it didn’t matter anyway. Third, men aren’t always good to you, but burritos always are. If he won’t offer to pay for your drunchies after all those drinks he handed out, don’t take him anywhere near your abode.

Your POV: Bartender yells “Last call!” and you get a huge group hug going to tell your girls how much you love them and how you all need to get together again next weekend. You talk afties and Pokey Stix when suddenly all of the lights go on. And suddenly 4 0′clock cutie isn’t looking too good.

My POV: This is by far the best part of my night. Since drink orders are done, it’s my chance to sit back, relax, take a shot with the bartender, and admire all that is going on around me. The look of horror that come over faces as soon as the lights turn on is priceless; just when you thought you were surrounded by hotties in a hip night club, you realize that theses “hotties” are covered in pit stains and your fake tan is running down your face. And that “hip night club” is just a dirty, windowless basement. With dirty bathroom water on the floor.

What a great way to end the night. Now it’s time for me to head home and enjoy my Jimmy Johns #12 with Say Yes to the Dress on DVR.

Here come the bad decisions!

As 2009 was coming to a close I vowed that I’d make some big changes for the year to come, namely to act like the adult that I am and not like the rockstar college girl I once was. I told myself I’d drink more responsibly, that I didn’t need to get drunk to have fun, and that I might finally be at the age when dancing on stages is no longer socially acceptable.

And then I found myself making out with my really close guy friend a mere 45 minutes into the new year.

(Well, there’s always next year I guess!)

After we both came to our senses and realized what was going on (aided by another friend walking in, laughing, and taking pictures) we went our separate ways. And by “separate ways,” I mean “to get more booze.”  Word spread that we had gotten a little gropey on his bed and my girlfriends started accosting me. “I’m drunk!” I explained. “It’s not a big deal.”

And they totally understood.

The truth is, we all do dumb things when we’re drinking. It’s part of what makes drinking so much fun! No? Just me? Well, at least the dumb things we do are more understandable. Just ask Jamie Fox. So instead of hiding that ish and pretending you can’t remember it (we’re onto you) why not share it with your friends here at CollegeCandy? Below, the CC writers share their fondest (if not haziest) dumb-drunk moments. Share your own (you know you’ve got plenty!) in the comments section below.

Rosie – Duke: I was at a Passover Seder at the student Jewish center on campus, which I had, of course, pregamed. Throughout the meal I consumed much more Manischewitz, as any good Jew would do. When the rabbi commenced the closing prayers, I kept up my conversation with my giant 6′4″ baseball friend. I said to him “your nose is so big and Jewish” then reached out and grabbed it. I guess I squeezed a bit too hard because it began to bleed everywhere. I started laughing hysterically and was asked to leave the service since I couldn’t control myself. I was receiving weekly emails from the Jewish center prior to that but have not received one since.

Ness – Sheridan: Two words: topless Twister.

Kiki – University of Missouri: Three days after Party in the USA became a sorority girl anthem, I managed to break a ceiling fan while rocking out mid-chorus. Rather than pausing to recognize the electrical carnage, I continued to keep my hands up, since they were playing my song. Nodding my head like yeah, moving my hips like yeah, avoiding light bulb shards like yeah.

Alex – Lakehead University: Last Halloween me and my friend got hammered and ended up puking behind a gas station at 11pm. Here’s the kicker: my very new boyfriend (as in two weeks new!) had to get me home and give me Gravol to stop the hurling. But, he’s still with me!

Arielle – Quinnipiac University: I stuck my entire body out of my friend’s car window while waiting in line at the drive-through and sang (read: screamed) the 7th Heaven theme song for all of the cars waiting in line. I’m still waiting to be signed by a record label …

Kelly – University of Iowa: I told all of my friends that my boyfriend proposed to me (he did, jokingly with an onion ring at the dining hall), and we planned my whole wedding. Not creepy at all.

Thu – USC: I insisted that I wasn’t drunk, but failed miserably at convincing people to believe so. At least that’s how they saw it.

Lauren – University of Michigan: I tried to squat and pee behind a bush and didn’t realize how big of a hill I was on. Needless to say, I lost my balance (heels+skinny jeans+beer pong = disaster) and rolled down the hill…with my pants around my ankles….towards the busy sidewalk where people were en route to parties.

Brithny- Duke: Keggerskating. Sooo fun, but let’s just say it’s not as easy as it seems. Eight wheels and a keg of beer do not mesh well.

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley: I missed my last home football game because I was dancing with some guy wearing a giant watermelon suit.

Noa – CU Boulder: I once came home from a lingerie party and attempted to seduce my R.A. Only when I busted in his room at 1 a.m. he was already in there….with his boyfriend.

Nina – Michigan State University: Apparently I pulled a hotel’s fire alarm while in another country. But when my friends asked me about it right after, I legitimately did not remember pulling the fire alarm, seeing the fire truck outside, nor the firefighters swarming into the hotel as we walked to the nightclubs….

Elise – Stanford: I told one of my best friend’s sisters about her tattoo, which she didn’t know about!

Cristina – Michigan State: I just consider this dumb, not particularly badass, but I was drunk and forced my friend take me to Meijer to return a book. I seriously would not leave her alone until she drove me there. They gave me a few looks but I GOT MY MONEY BACK. EPIC WIN.

Jill – University of Wisconsin: Dropped my phone in a sewer during the biggest block party of the year. Everyone was around me cheering me on trying to get it, the fire department refused to help, and when I FINALLY got it out, the school news paper took my photo. At the moment, I was proud. Now, not so much.

Mother Earth Says: No balloons!

As 2009 winds down and 2010 looms ahead, we all begin thinking about the important things in life.  I think most of us can agree that at the top of our list would be one of the most important things of all – throwing an epic NYE bash!

As always, I will be the one to 1) ruin your fun by saying that your party is killing the earth and 2) make it even better by replacing your old faves with your soon-to-be new ones.  Here are some of the most crucial aspects to throwing an eco-friendly, yet equally bitchin’ New Year’s shindig.

1) Choose eco-friendly champagnes.  This article on TreeHugger.com has a great list of organic sparkling wines at all price ranges.   If you’re like me and still too poor to afford a bottle of anything over $7.99 then you can still opt for the favorites as long as they’re grown and bottled as close to you as possible.  For example, if you’re a California girl, such as myself, you have the pleasure of sippin’ on BevMo’s finest.  That’s right, I’m talking about Cook’s and Andre.  You’re welcome.

2)  Use real champagne glasses. I know you are all classy ladies out there, so kick the red cup habit and get something real stylish.  If you can’t afford the cost and the injuries that result from broken glass, opt for acrylic or plastic champagne flutes.  Just be sure to recollect them at the end of the night so you can use them for your party next year (or next week).

3)  Skip the streamers and confetti. Seriously, who decorates their party with streamers past the age of 6 anyway?  If your party is not complete without the midnight confetti toss and next day incessant vacuuming, then be my guest.  But please, please, please don’t waste your money and our precious resources at an overpriced party goods store.  All you have to do is look in your recycle bin, dig out that old newspaper and start ripping it to shreds.

4)  Ditch the Fritos and get your a** in the kitchen! By whipping something up on your own, your food will be yummier, cheaper, and healthier for you than those nasty processed foods.  Plus, there’s really no way to know exactly how much the Earth died (tiny overstatement) just to get you your frozen spinach dip.  If you’re ready to get your hands dirty but you don’t know how, just follow the recipe of your favorite party foods and then substitute the ingredients for organic, fresher, and less processed alternatives.  Eat up!

5)  Spend your money on booze. And not on your NYE party dress.  Get real, you know you’re only going to wear it once anyways!  Be resourceful and utilize all your resources before heading to the mall.  Borrow clothes from your friends and match them with those shoes that you haven’t worn in a year.  (I promise, nobody will notice.)  If absolutely cannot live without a new party ‘fit, hit your local thrift and consignment stores today!  Not only will you spare the earth’s resources, but you also have a higher chance of buying a designer label that’s actually within your price range.

After all, you’ve been looking forward to an occasion to show off your sparkly new holiday dress. And the shoes, tights, belt and accessories you picked up to go with it. But remember that New Year’s Eve is notorious, no matter where you are, for record breaking injury, crime and carelessness. Take some time a few days in advance to prepare and ensure you have a blast.

After all, who wants to start off 2010 in detox, jail or the hospital?

1) Make a plan. NYE is not the night to bar-hop. With ridiculous cover charges, overpriced drinks and drunk drivers on the roads, it’s best to pick a place, get all of your buds to head there and rock the night away.

This also decreases the chance of getting split up. With the disorienting effects of alcohol you want to keep your crew intact to minimize the odds of anyone stumbling into a sticky situation solo.

2) Transportation is HUGE: no drinking and driving. If you all must drink you all must stay put. Period. Do some research: many cities offer free buses and cab rides on NYE. There are also services that will pick you up and drive your car home for you. Find those companies now and store their numbers in your phone just in case you need them. Or, load some pillows and blankets into your trunk and crash with a local friend.

3) To avoid ringing in the New Year with the toilet bowl, remember to eat something. Some munchies will help to line your stomach and decrease the risk of vomiting come morning. Also, stick to the drinks you know. Don’t go slamming jell-o shots or champagne if you’re not used to the effects. And remember: a) carbonation in your mixed drinks speeds absorption and b) sugary mixers like soda or juice can make it difficult to gauge how strong your drink is.

4) Bring condoms. Even if you’re not the “one night stand” type of girl, it’s better to be safe than a momma in 2010. And if you don’t need them, someone else will, and they’ll be ever so grateful they found you fixing your hair in the bathroom at 12:15.

Most importantly, look out for one another. This is the time to celebrate, so enjoy the quality time with your crew. Happy New Year!