Cheap New Year's Eve

Don't sit in your hotel/motel room on New Year's Eve, you can go up to Universal City Walk for music and a midnight countdown for free. Parking at City Walk after 6:00 p.m. that night will be $40. Save money by parking at the North Hollywood MTA station and taking the 15 minute Red Line subway up the hill for $3 round trip per person. Downtown Long Beach is having music and a midnight fireworks show, and you can ride city transit for free NYE night.

Cheap Transportation

It's tough getting around L.A. without a car but it can be done. Let's say you're interested in a last-minute trip to L.A. the weekend of Jan. 7-9. You can get a deal on Hotels.com for $150/night at the Santa Monica Doubletree. Take the famous Santa Monica Blue Bus to and from LAX for $3 per person, have no parking charges, walk all through Santa Monica and even take a bus to Hollywood & Highland for $3 each.

Cheap Berzerk

Get some cheap thrills by going to see Cirque Berzerk at Club Nokia at L.A. Live January 7-30. Show your Metro pass, ticket or Discount Destination card at the box office and you'll get $10 off per ticket. You can also order through Ticketmaster.com, use the promo code TRAINS and get 20% off select performances.

Cheap Christmas

Walking with the Las Posadas, what can be more L.A. than that? Plus it's free. From December 16-24, the Las Posadas celebrations begin at 6:00 at the Avila Adobe on Olvera Street near downtown. This is the Mexican tradition that re-enacts the search for a room by Mary and Joseph. For children there are pinatas, entertainment and hot chocolate.

Cheap Newport Beach

If there's ever a time that Newport Beach shines it's during the Christmas Boat Parade (December 15-19). It's a chance to see a harbor parade of incredibly decorated vessels, as well as multi-million dollar homes along the shore. While it's free to watch the parade, two slightly more expensive and fun options include the American Legion post on the Balboa Peninsula, where $15 will get you food and spot to see the event; and the Boy Scouts' Newport Sea Base, which is selling spots on their lawn for $5. Proceeds for both go to charity.