{"id":13515,"date":"2013-08-17T07:02:06","date_gmt":"2013-08-17T14:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/?p=13515"},"modified":"2019-07-15T14:23:17","modified_gmt":"2019-07-15T21:23:17","slug":"8-best-places-to-get-free-boxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/2013\/08\/17\/8-best-places-to-get-free-boxes\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Best Places to Get Free Boxes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Free<\/a>Are you moving soon, but don\u2019t have anything to transport your stuff? Don\u2019t let your circumstances box you in. When it comes to finding that perfect container to move the lava lamp you\u2019ve had for 15 years or Aunt Sally\u2019s prized collection of snow globes, there are plenty of places to look.<\/p>\n

Allow a little extra time, because you may find boxes are poor quality or picked over by other box hunters. Sometimes box hunting expeditions need to stretch over the course of several days, but here are 8 best places to get free boxes that could have you packing in no time.<\/p>\n

#1. Take a Box, Leave a Box<\/strong>
\nChances are you will already be reserving your moving truck at your local U-Haul center. The great news is that you can pick up some decent boxes in the process. Visit almost any brick and mortar U-Haul location and stop by their \u201ctake a box leave a box center<\/a>\u201d (pictured left). \u00a0You can snag some free high-quality moving boxes that other customers have dropped off.<\/p>\n

#2. Word of mouth<\/strong>
\nIf you discuss your move with friends and family with strong emphasis on your pitiful lack of boxes, there\u2019s a good chance they will become your own personal box watchdogs. Utilize your network of friends and family to find boxes faster and easier.<\/p>\n

#3. Craigslist<\/strong>
\nDon\u2019t forget about the free section of Craigslist, under the \u201cfor sale\/wanted\u201d category. Note that military and college towns are especially box-rich, so check those Craigslist boards if you live nearby. You\u2019ll generally strike box gold on Craigslist. After all, breaking down boxes after a move is kind of a pain so why not help a fellow mover out? Just be sure to return the favor after you\u2019re settled in your new home!<\/p>\n

#4. U-Haul Box Exchange<\/strong>
\nTaking customer service to the next level, U-Haul has established a one-stop shop for movers to share moving boxes with each other. Visit the customer connect<\/a> site to purchase used boxes or sell yours. The site also sells packing supplies like tape or furniture pads, and even has a connection portal so folks dealing with military-related or college-related moves can trade advice.<\/p>\n

#5. Freecycle<\/strong>
\nFreecycle generally has a message board in or near every town in America. It\u2019s like Craigslist although a little more informal. The name says it all \u2013 this stuff is as free as it gets.<\/p>\n

\"U-Haul<\/a>#6. Restaurants, coffee shops<\/strong>
\nFood service locations are going to get shipments in at least twice a week, if not more. Call around and find out if they\u2019re willing to pawn their boxes off on you. Most restaurants experience a lull in customer traffic between 2-4 p.m. You\u2019ll probably be doing them a favor and they\u2019ll be more than happy to help. If you will be moving very heavy or fragile items, you may consider purchasing new boxes, in case the reused boxes are not durable enough.<\/p>\n

#7. Copy centers<\/strong>
\nPaper boxes are terrific and this is a prime place to find them. They are sturdy, they usually have lids and sometimes they even have handle cutouts.<\/p>\n

#8. Save your boxes from online shopping<\/strong>
\nMany people prefer online shopping for the convenience and ease. With so many sites offering free shipping and online sales now, you can usually even score a deal. The boxes are usually large and fairly sturdy, and even come with terrific packing materials! Don\u2019t shop just for the boxes, because then they wouldn\u2019t be free. But if you happen to need \u2013 or just want \u2013 to do an online shopping spree, save those boxes.<\/p>\n

So after everything is unpacked and all the dust settles, what can you do with all those boxes? Use them as pet barriers or pet houses; build a cardboard fort<\/a>; repair broken windows; fill a hole in the floor or roof; create a banner or sign; cover up an oil spill.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your own zany take on box hunting and repurposing? Put down the packing tape and share your ideas!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This article was written by the folks at Movearoo.com. Movearoo is dedicated to becoming your #1 resource for home services, moving guides, and expert advice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you moving soon, but don\u2019t have anything to transport your stuff? Don\u2019t let your circumstances box you in. When it comes to finding that perfect container to move the lava lamp you\u2019ve had for 15 years or Aunt Sally\u2019s prized collection of snow globes, there are plenty of places to look. Allow a little […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":13595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,10,198],"tags":[789,145,148,174],"class_list":["post-13515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moving-2","category-packing-2","category-planning","tag-free-boxes","tag-recycle","tag-reuse","tag-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50502,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13515\/revisions\/50502"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}