Moving involves a lot of packing and storing your things, and that means you’re going to need a lot of boxes. Despite being a crucial aspect of moving, people often overlook procuring boxes, and wait until the last minute. Scrambling for boxes isn’t easy, and it usually results in piling your possessions into empty beer cases and haphazardly arranged bindles like a drifter.
Work: Depending on where you work there might be a lot of spare boxes lying around. Don’t steal them, you have to ask your employer if it’s ok to take them, but more often than not you’re simply saving them the trouble of having to throw them out. Reusing boxes makes their company look green anyway!
Friends and Family: Check with your friends and family to see if they have some spare boxes they’d like to rid themselves of. You might be surprised how many people save these things. Start with people who have moved recently, but any friend will do.
Local Businesses: This one takes a little effort, but so does anything worth doing, right? The idea here is to go around to local businesses, look for places that might receive a lot of shipments, and just ask them if you can take some cardboard boxes off their hands, and more often than not, they’ll oblige. The best options usually include grocery stores, liquor stores, and bookstores.
Your Moving Company: Since the conception of the moving industry, moving companies have heard their clients ask, “Will you provide the boxes for us to pack our stuff?”, and a lot of them have obliged. If you ask your movers to hook you up with boxes, there’s a good chance they can at least point you in the right direction if they don’t have their own personal supplier.
Craigslist: You can find just about anything on craigslist, and boxes are no exception. People often post them in the ‘free’ section of the site, so all you have to do is go pick them up. While you’re at it, you can buy and sell items to make your move easier. Craigslist is a pretty great moving tool.
