One of the first questions you are probably going to ask yourself when you find out that you are going to be moving is, “How many boxes will I need?” To which I will respond, “A lot! More than you think, even.” In fact, it’s a really good idea to hop on the internet and use a moving calculator to help you figure it out. Then, add an extra ten percent for good measure. After that, I suggest you go through each room in your house and get rid of everything you haven’t touched in the last six months (unless it’s seasonal of course. That would just be silly.).
You can have a yard sale to sell all of that old stuff and hopefully make enough cash to fund those moving boxes. But wait! You want cheap moving boxes? Of course you do! Unfortunately, there’s no such thing, really, as cheap moving boxes. Cheaper, perhaps, but not really cheap, when it’s all said and done. After your yard sale, check these three places for the best deals:
- Craigslist is the king of cheap moving boxes. Anyone else that has just moved knows how expensive the boxes can be, and so they are selling theirs to get some money back. This is good for both of you. Don’t forget to look in the FREE section, either. Some people are just giving them away.
- Behind local businesses. I once saw an enormous stack of boxes out behind a Cracker Barrel, and I kind of started to itch a little bit. I was really hoping that someone who went there to eat that morning was going to be moving, so that they could see the veritable gold mine and bring it home. Most retail stores and liquor stores are more than willing to hand over their stash.
- The internet. Nowadays, what with all the hype about going green and recycling (and rightfully so!), there are entire websites devoted to matching up potential movers with used moving boxes. You can also sell them back your boxes, depending on what condition they are in. Finally, you can get a lot of boxes from online retailers at wholesale prices. These are brand new, for a good price, which is pretty hard to come by. You can also select from moving “kits”, that offer extra supplies like bubble wrap and packaging tape.
The most important thing to remember, no matter where you find your cheap moving boxes, is to get more than you think you will need, because you will definitely wind up needing them!
