Moving a can be very stressful especially if you are not sure that you remembered to do all the necessary things. And a lot of times people get caught up in all of the big things like finding temporary storage, transportation etc. and forget the smaller things, like boxes. After all, all those books, clothes, pots and pans need to go with you. So unless you plan on purchasing a lot of suitcases, cardboard boxes are the way to go. The good news is that they are free if you know where to look. The following are some good places to find free boxes.

The bookstore: Books are heavy, therefore the boxes that they come in are usually quite strong. Therefore it would be a good idea to check with the local bookstore and ask them if they have any extra to give away.
Office supply stores: Office supplies are not only heavy and bulky, they can also be fragile. This means the box they come in is not only strong, but they will also have packing material such as Styrofoam. Most of the time these types of stores do not reuse them. Therefore, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a few from a store.

Restaurants: Another great place to look for good and sturdy boxes are restaurants and bars. The good news is that there are usually a lot of them, no matter where you live. So finding one shouldn’t be any trouble. Any place that sells liquor will have good quality boxes. For the simple reason that bottles require sturdy boxes. These boxes can rarely be re-used by them so that means they get recycled, making it easier for you to get your hands on a few of them.

Stores: Stores are the single largest source of boxes of different sizes and quality levels. The only thing is that there will not be a lot of locations. And out of all types of stores, the ones that specialize in home improvement supplies are the best. Home improvement stores will have some of the largest and highest quality cardboard boxes. Most of the time they are cool about giving them away.

You don’t need to limit yourself to finding free boxes to stores only. There are even online sources available for you such as CraigsList where there will be communities offering boxes. Recycling centers are also a good source for boxes of boxes of every type. Recycling centers usually get their boxes from people who drop them off after they have used it, so look carefully to find undamaged ones.

If you absolutely do not want used cardboard boxes then there is always the option of going with new ones. If you are using a moving company then they should have all types of boxes. Moving companies get their boxes at lower than usual prices, which means they can pass this savings on to you. Another obvious place to look would be the post office or overnight delivery companies such as FedEx. However, these types of businesses will rarely have large boxes. If money is not an issue, then buying from a home improvement store is the best option. They will have the biggest collection of boxes compared to any other store.