Getting ready to move? Wondering where you’re going to get boxes? Wishing you’d somehow kept the boxes from your last move? Finding boxes does take a bit of leg work, but by knowing where to look, it can be the easiest part of the moving process.
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Freecycle
Freecycle (www.freecycle.com) is a great website that connects people with stuff to people who need stuff. You’ll find a ton of interesting things being given away and cardboard boxes are always featured. Additionally, you might just find takers for some of the items lurking in your closets and garage that you don’t want to move.
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Grocery & Retail Stores
At larger box stores, shipments come in daily. Most of the time these boxes are broken down or crushed, bundled up, and then sent off to a recycling center. There will be a wide range of sizes and quality, yours for the choosing. The produce boxes are particular sturdy. Ask for a manager when you inquire or simply drive around to the back of the store, look for the loading dock and approach the staff you see. Chances are, they’re hard at work breaking down boxes that they’re only too happy to give to you instead.
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Schools
This one is easy if you’ve got kids but isn’t the exclusive territory of parents. Schools receive deliveries of food as well as office supplies. Check first with the secretary in the office but typically speaking, schools have no more need of their boxes than retail stores.
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Liquor Store
These boxes are built to hold a case of heavy glass containers. They are the perfect size and sturdiness for books and other knick knacks. Because liquor stores tend to be small, they may not receive shipments every day. It may take one or two trips to hit the right day, but any staff member should be able to help you. You can always call ahead to check.
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Book Stores
Speaking of books: what better way to pack them than back in the same kind of boxes they probably came in? Bookstores move a lot of merchandise around as well as send a lot of merchandise back, so getting boxes here can be a little trickier than other places. If there is one in your area though, it’s worth a stop to see what they’ve got.
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Social Media
How many Facebook friends do you have? Twitter followers? Enlist your friends and put a call out for any and all boxes that may be lurking in their attics. Maybe they’ve got a good lead from their last move or maybe they’ve got a friend of a friend trying to get rid of some boxes. The power of social networking can be overwhelming. People love to help (and get rid of stuff they don’t need) so be careful what you ask for. You could end up with enough boxes for three moves!
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Recycling Centers
If all else fails, put on your “grungy shoes” and head to your local recycling center. Not only is there an entire bin dedicated to cardboard, but most people will leave boxes around the center. See a box of old magazines? Help the staff out by emptying the box into the paper bin and score one box for yourself. Definitely the most labor intensive process on the list, but it also has the potential to be the most fun!
