7 Places to Score Free Moving Boxes

From paying your initial security deposit to renting a moving truck, there are lots of expenses you can expect to pay out as you prepare to move into your new apartment. Have you thought about where you’ll buy your moving boxes?

Expenses to Plan for When You Move

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Hold up, wait a minute. Don’t you dare spend a single red cent on pre-used boxes when you can get them for free. All you have to do is dig a little!

Craigslist – Movers everywhere will tell you that this is the go-to place for all the free boxes you could possibly need. On your Craigslist city page, the “For Sale” category should have a “Free” section. But don’t hog all the boxes for yourself. Be sure to pay it forward by re-posting them on Craigslist after you’re done moving.
Your Job – If you work in an office environment, it’s likely that office supplies, ink cartridges, coffee creamer and reams of copy paper are delivered constantly. Ask the appropriate person if those boxes are up for grabs.
Local retailers – Having worked in retail back in college, I can speak authoritatively on this one. Literally thousands of boxes of clothes, food and beauty products arrive at these stores each week. Most times, retailers will crush boxes in a compactor and throw them in a dumpster out back. What a waste! Call the store and ask when the best time is to pick up unwanted boxes. Some stores will leave them out back for you. You should have luck with bookstores, toy stores, clothing stores and discount chains. Grocery stores are good too, but try to avoid boxes that may have carried open or damaged food items.
Go social – It’s time to finally make your massive social network count for something. If your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram haven’t done anything for you lately, now is their chance. Post an update asking your friends if they know where you can get free moving boxes. The more popular you are, the more likely you’ll garner some good suggestions. That’s what friends are for!
A recent mover – Take a stroll around your current apartment community, or even your new one. Do you see folks moving? Politely ask if they have plans for their boxes once their move is complete. They might be relieved to pass them on to you and not have to figure out what to do with them next.
Leasing office – The leasing office of your apartment community deals with residents moving in and out all the time. It only makes sense that they’ll have the inside scoop on where you can score some free boxes.
Post office – Yes, your local post office offers free boxes, and you can even reserve them online and have your mail carrier leave them for you. Tip: Brand new boxes from the post office are awesome because they’re really heavy duty and not already covered with tape, stickers and permanent markings.