Boxes for Moving

**forHISglory** · 08-11-2009, 11:46 PM

We are moving! Yes! We sold our house and now have to pack and leave. I refuse to go to a moving and storage place and pay money for boxes. So I'm asking: where are the best places to get free boxes for packing? What kinds of boxes do we look for or ask for?

And finally, any tips for frugal and safe packing?

My brother suggested getting boxes that liquor came in for packing glasses and vases. Have any of you ever done that? Will that protect those fragile items?

We have loads of books, and they are heavy. What kinds of boxes work best for that?

**Debbie-cat** · 08-11-2009, 11:51 PM

When I moved last year, I went to my local liquor store. They had THE best boxes! I must have had over 1000 books and they were strong and sturdy. They were also great for holding dishes which are also heavy. They were the best I came across and free!

Have fun packing!

**HisDaisy** · 08-12-2009, 01:05 AM

Liquor stores have good boxes. I have also gotten boxes from grocery stores as well as hospitals (science equipment boxes are the best). I would also recommend buying a few glass pack boxes from a home improvement store like Lowes. Glass pack boxes are double strong and great for items that don't want to break.
Another tip is to see if you can get end roll paper from your local newspaper. These are rolls of paper are left over after they print the paper. If the newspaper has a press they probably have end rolls and they are usually cheap or free. This paper is great for packing items and does not leave the mess that newspapers do. It saves on having to clean the dishes after you unpack them.

**Preston** · 08-12-2009, 01:41 AM

If you has a GFS (Gordon Food Service) they have a TON of boxes right by the register for your taking. or if you have a neighbor who works in food service (I had a neighbor that worked at Perkins) they can hold boxes for you.

Some grocery stores will help you out as well,, but some won't...

**frugalfranny** · 08-12-2009, 03:01 AM

I agree with the liquor store boxes. Great for boxes. Also smaller produce boxes......like oranges, lettuce, etc. See below.......

Also, grocery stores. I always call and talk to the produce manager. Ask him what time they re-stock and if he will hold the boxes for you if you PROMISE to be there. Most are good if you are there as promised. They always say that a lot of the people don't show up. I was there........and prompt. They have great boxes but some won't give apple boxes as they get credit for them. Banana boxes aren't great but will work for some of the larger kitchen items, or shoes, clothes.........they have large gaps in them.

Also, behind some of the major stores......in the dumpster, if they don't crush them. Some of our Big Lots have them, others have crushers.

As for packing......keep the unbreakable kitchen stuff together and don't pad it. The breakable stuff can be padded with bath and kitchen towels......gets the towels packed and you don't have to wrap the breakables. I even use wash cloths.........anything to wrap them in that you will be packing anyway. Have even used t-shirts! I don't take the time to wrap ANYTHING in paper when I move.....too messy, and extra effort.

Don't forget to have a trash bag of the immediately used things for when you get to the place you are moving to......bathroom kit...soap, shampoo, etc. TP. Paper towels, and kitchen kit. Saves digging through boxes.

**ml2620** · 08-12-2009, 05:39 AM

Office parks and offices have plenty of those paper boxes, and maybe heavy duty computer boxes. I work in purchasing and have a constant flow of boxes I keep for our employees for just this sort of thing.

**lisaflex** · 08-12-2009, 07:41 AM

liquor store boxes are not sturdy enough for good china and bedding

**Pemberleyan** · 08-12-2009, 08:26 AM

I've moved quite a few times, and I have to say label everything well, on the sides as well as the tops of the boxes. List contents and its destination; master bedroom, etc.

I passed our bargain/salvage grocery store yesterday and they had stacks and stacks of banana boxes. Those are great, in addition to the paper boxes which many offices throw out, with removable lids. Small thick boxes from the hardware stores are great for packing books. Large boxes of books are just a bad idea, too heavy!

Think about your first night in the new place. Pack a box or boxes with essentials for your first night and label them accordingly. You know, toiletries, bath towels, sheets, toilet paper, sleepwear, pet food and bowls if you have pets, disposable plates and cutlery, any medications, perhaps a first aid kit or a book to read to the chilren. This way you won't be looking around for a lot of different boxes for the things you'll need first.

You can use towels, napkins, placemats, etc. to pack between dishes and glassware.

I highly recommend a good tape dispenser, the kind with a handle and a blade used for taping up boxes. Use the quality clear tape about two inches wide. Also, a huge magic marker or two.

Moving is a great time for sorting through, so I like to have a few extra boxes nearby to place donated items into.

I hope you have an easy move and enjoy your new place!

**Judi Dial** · 08-12-2009, 08:41 AM

Liquor store boxes are great, but many are frequently cut open which make it harder to pack a lot of things. Ask at your local restaurants for egg boxes and tomato boxes. Both have cutout handles. The tomato boxes are heavy duty and are frequently used by booksellers to carry hardcovers. The egg boxes are the boxes for 15 dozen eggs or so and will hold 50-60 paperbacks in four stacks around the edges. If you want I have a picture of this I can post. (I used it for a thread on lessons I'd learned while bookselling thread I did elsewhere.) Beer flats or soda flats are also frequently used, and although they are a handy size for paperbacks, I don't recommend them as the books can be damaged too easily.

Do NOT pack books spine up with other books or things on top of them. The movers did that when we moved here from Florida and ruined most of my hardcover reference books, literally $1,000s of dollars worth of damage. They did this because the books were heavy so they packed them spine up on the bottom of the carton and put other books on top of them. Apparently, they then also packed a lot of the house on top of those boxes.

Good luck!

Judi

**forHISglory** · 08-12-2009, 09:00 AM

Wow! Great advice! This is an out of state move, long distance move, and I really appreciate your advice on how to protect fragile items.

Has anybody ever used egg cartons for packing? I emptied one this morning, and started to throw it away. Then I thought that perhaps it would be good for tiny items, or maybe just to buffer fragile items.

Keep the ideas flowing!

**pop goes the weasel** · 08-12-2009, 11:06 AM

I used boxes tht gallon or half gallon jugs of water came in. Also egg boxes are sturdy

**rachelj** · 08-12-2009, 03:05 PM

Use smaller boxes for books and heavy items. These get heavy and you don't want a giant heavy box.

When packing your moving truck - pack it very tight - do not leave room for things to wriggle around. This causes scratches and breaking.

**Palooka** · 08-12-2009, 03:29 PM

Egg boxes are good. If you have like some type of warehouse or printing place in your area, those boxes are great and have lids so there is no folding or taping to close the boxes. Never thought of liquor boxes before. Yeah, I've used my own towels and clothes to protect the breakables.

Congrats on the house.

**misstina87** · 08-12-2009, 03:39 PM

I'm in the process of moving as well and I get my boxes from a grocery store. I love egg boxes. They hold a good amount and there are handles on the side to make carrying them a whole lot easier. Good luck!

**Pemberleyan** · 08-12-2009, 03:46 PM

Oh, I just thought of something. If you go to an office or offices to ask for paper boxes or have a friend who works in a large office, you might request their shredded paper also for packing glassware. I never seemed to find enough newspapers for wrapping glassware.