Score free moving boxes for your next relocation

Storage or moving boxes are as essential to moving as a spoon is to a eating a bowl of soup. You need to find a rich supply of medium sized cardboard moving boxes, as many items are too large to fit in tiny boxes and larger boxes are too unwieldy and heavy for moving.

Score Moving Boxes from your supermarket

A lot of people will hit up the supermarket and ask for spare banana boxes from the produce department. These are decent boxes for moving, despite the large hole in the top and bottom, but unfortunately they’re often a victim of their own success. Simply put, too many people know about banana boxes for you to be able to rely on getting enough of them from a supermarket. They can provide some supplemental help, but don’t expect to get enough to complete your whole move with them.

What you will need to find is a business that regularly receives deliveries in medium-sized cardboard moving boxes that will be able to give you some for free that they would otherwise throw out. One of the easiest ways to find such a store is to look for businesses with a designated cardboard-only dumpster out back. Only use this as a way to identify businesses that could help you; taking items from a dumpster without the owner’s permission is a crime.

Score Moving Boxes from local retailers

Some typical stores that have useful boxes include tool and appliance stores, hardware stores, restaurants, liquor stores, supermarkets, bookstores and office supply stores. Typically, these stores will be happy to let you have them to avoid letting the boxes go to waste.

When you find the right store, ask the manager for permission and be prepared to come back multiple times when they have spare boxes on hand. Bring a box cutter with you in case you need to break some of the boxes down to transport them.

Try searching for boxes weeks in advance so you have time to build up a supply and pack before your move. However long it takes, thank the people at the store and make sure you have enough packing tape on hand to reassemble and seal the boxes.