How to Get Lots of Free Moving Boxes

Anyone who has ever moved as an adult knows how expensive it can be. Between hiring movers, renting a vehicle, replacing lost or broken items, the bill that comes with moving into a new home can be pretty steep. If you want to save money on the next step, know that the little things add up. For starters, the average moving box will cost you anywhere from $1 to $3.75 , and while it may seem like a small budget item at first glance, it adds up quickly as you move from room to room. However, if you know where to look, many places have free boxes.

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U-Haul box exchange. Take it from the moving kings themselves; In an effort to reduce waste, U-Haul has effectively created a platform for its users to give away boxes they no longer need after they move. The tool is easy to use – all you have to do is enter your zip code and it will show you lists of people in your area who have boxes they are willing to give away for free. You don’t need a username or login to use this tool, and you can reply to any messages using the messaging form on the tool’s website. Yes, you’ll have to pick up the boxes yourself, but that’s a minor inconvenience considering the money you save.

Facebook marketplace . Just type “free crates” in the Marketplace search tab and you can see who in your area has some valuable moving cargo they want to get out of hand. If you don’t have a Facebook account (and don’t want to create one solely to access free boxes), you can do the same by searching for “free boxes” on Craigslist.

Freecycle. Freecycle is a non-profit organization made up of over 5,000 local city groups for people who want to give away (as well as receive) things for free to keep them out of landfills. To access the messages, you need to sign up for a free account on their website. Once you sign up, all you have to do is search for the item you’re looking for in the search tab – in this case “free crates” – and you’ll get a list of everyone in your area looking to unload their cardboard. Once you find a match, simply reply to their post to schedule a time to collect the boxes and you’ll be on your way.

Next door. Nextdoor is a global neighborhood network where people in communities can share information and give and receive help. But for our purposes, it’s just another vessel to carry crates without paying a dime. In order to use this service, you need to download the Nextdoor app on your phone as they do not work on a website in a browser. Once you download the app and create an account, you will have access to classifieds in your area, some of which will inevitably be those trying to offload their moves.

OfferUp. OfferUp is another app that allows users across the country to connect with people in their community to buy and sell used items. All you need to do is create an account and you can contact anyone in your area who has posted listings willing to give away their moving boxes. OfferUp allows you to send a message to the “seller” through the application to agree on the time of receipt of the goods. What’s also nice about this service is that you can check the user’s rating to see if previous people have had positive or negative experiences with them in the past.

Your local liquor store. As a former liquor store employee, I can anecdotally confirm two things. First, we always had a ton of boxes. Secondly, we were absolutely not against giving them away. The liquor store was constantly getting orders delivered to the premises, which left us with an endless stream of empty boxes . If you call your local liquor store and ask if you could pick up a few cases (because you’re trying to save money on moving), chances are they’ll be happy to help. Just make sure you 1) arrive at your scheduled time, 2) stick to their schedule, and 3) say “thank you”.

Your workplace. Hey, you give your workplace the majority of your life, the least they can do is give you a few free boxes. If you talk to the office manager or security personnel, there’s a good chance they’ll find out about a backlog of empty supply crates just gathering dust somewhere. But as the old saying goes, one person’s trash is another’s treasure. Just make sure you go through all the right channels before taking the boxes home.

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