Never Pay for a Moving Box Again

The moving process is full of hidden costs, but buying moving boxes doesn't have to be one of them. With a little effort, you may never have to pay for moving boxes again. Here are our favorite sources for free boxes:

Walmart: One of the best free moving box resources is Walmart. Walmart is an excellent resource for college students on a budget that have no trouble making a late night trip. If you go to Walmart a little before midnight, sometimes as early as 11:30, the employees will be unloading boxes and putting new products on the shelves. This happens all over the store, and you can find boxes of all sizes. Just go with a general idea of what sizes you need, and chances are you’ll be able to get everything in one trip. Check your local Walmart's hours before going. Your best bet is a Walmart that is open 24 hours, but if you don’t have one and yours closes at midnight, you should be able to get some good boxes before they close if you’re quick. You might feel a bit awkward, but just load the empty flattened boxes on your cart and walk straight out. Insider Tip: There is one type of box you can't take for free- they are medium sized boxes that usually look very new and sturdy with blue print on them- they might actually have "WALMART" written on them. Someone will usually see you and let you know you can't have them if you accidentally grab a few, but they are fairly easy to identify.

McDonald's Fry Boxes: Believe it or not, McDonald's fry boxes have their own Facebook page to describe all the alternative uses for fry boxes. These boxes are good for heavy items that require a smaller box.

U-Haul Box Exchange: U-haul has a message board that allows customers to look for free boxes near where they live. Conveniently, this message board also allows customers to connect and share rides. Definitely worth checking out.

Craigslist: Searching in the "free" section for boxes, which is under the "for sale" heading, resulted in quite a long list of posts. This can be risky though- you don’t know who you’re getting them from, and you also don’t know what kind of state they’re in or what kinds of sizes you’ll end up with.

Liquor Stores: Many of the boxes they have don't have lids- so be sure to ask specifically for boxes that have them. Besides that, boxes from a liquor store are great for books, CDs and DVDs, and individually packed knick knacks, as they tend to be small but sturdy.

Bookstores: This one makes perfect sense if you have a lot of books to move. Books are tough because they are small, but super heavy, so it is easy to over-pack boxes with books. Picking up a few boxes made specifically for books will keep things reasonable so you don't end up with a back injury!

Starbucks: Starbucks stores tend to get anywhere between 1-2 shipments per week, so they usually have a few boxes lying around, but it is best to go by and ask them to hold boxes for you in advance. Because Starbucks boxes range in size, you could have them hold the larger boxes for you. These are good for bulkier, lighter items.

So now you've got a few ideas on where to go- but what sizes should you get? Take a look around your house and take stock of your belongings. Here are some standard sizes for moving boxes and what they're designed to hold:

(18x14x12) MEDIUM: Good for books, kitchenware, collectibles, and most other household items.

(20x20x15) LARGE: All-purpose moving boxes that can still be carried easily when packed with fairly heavy items. This could include larger kitchenware, and potentially things from your pantry or laundry room. Also good for unwieldy items- you can pack a few other things around once you've gotten awkwardly shaped items positioned. .

(23x23x16) EXTRA LARGE: These are best suited for items like bedding, drapes, towels and clothing that are light but take up a lot of space. Do not place too many items in a large moving box as it can become unwieldy to lift and carry.

Now get out there and claim your boxes! After your move, be sure to get rid of the boxes quickly and don't keep them in the house, as they can give roaches a great place to lay eggs. If you don't mind taking the extra time, put a post on Craigslist WITH an image of your boxes and their relative sizes so someone else can make use of them and keep the cycle going. Happy box hunting!