A Positively Moving Experience
Finding Free Moving Boxes
Whenever you’re trying to figure out the official cost of moving, you need to consider the cost of moving materials like sturdy packing boxes. Here’s some tips prepared by the experts at Noah’s Ark for saving money on your moving boxes.
Office Shops
Delicate or technically complex office supplies are shipped in strong and sturdy boxes with tons of packing materials that large big box stores like Officemax and Staples simply don’t reuse. Try visiting one of these stores to find tons of moving boxes for free – we recommend asking if they have boxes that printer paper come in, as they are sturdy and often come with secure and snug lids.
Book Shops
Books are heavy – so the boxes they get shipped in are strong. Most large bookstores get in weekly or twice weekly shipments – and those located in cities have an even higher shipping frequency. Try asking your local bookstore if they have spare boxes.
Restaurants
All sorts of canned goods, food, and bottles get shipped in incredibly strong boxes that are perfect for items that you’re taking in your car that you may want easy access to or don’t want to put a lid on – as most of these boxes come lidless.
Supermarkets
Ask your local grocery store when their shipments arrive, and show up that day – you’ll find tons of free used boxes. We recommend fruit boxes as they are strong and solid – but have gaps that allow fruit to breathe, so be careful what you pack inside them.
Drugstores
Large big box pharmacy stores like Rite Aid or CVS get regular shipments – so simply ask when they will be getting one, and like the approach with supermarkets, show up on that day – they will be happy to pass boxes off to you, as it gets rid of their need to break them down.
Liquor Stores
Booze boxes are strong as bottles are heavy – but they are usually small and lidless. Just make sure to be careful of the sharp staple ends that might be present on the edges of these boxes.
Home Goods Stores
Appliance stores like Home Depot have tons of large boxes – but since they are managed particularly, you will probably have better luck asking your local hardware store, where the staff is more likely to have easy access to the boxes that they are sending out for recycling.
