Have you bought moving boxes from Amazon?

[boolady]

The last time we moved, we had a great source for free boxes of all sizes. This time, we don't. I see that Amazon has lots of sets of moving boxes in different sizes...has anyone ever purchased them? Feedback?

If not, but you've purchased elsewhere, would you please share your experiences? We don't have time to go scrounging for free boxes as it's suddenly hit me that we're supposed to move in a bit over three weeks and nothing's done.

[arivecchi]

Home Depot has tons of moving supplies at reasonable prices.

[KLD313]

I got mine from U-haul, it was cheaper than the moving company and they have everything. I was able to order online and pick it up in the store but I think they ship too.

[twowhat?]

I second Home Depot. Their box prices are excellent, and it's great to be able to run there for boxes as you need more. We had the same thought as you - no time to scrounge up free boxes this time. Home Depot boxes are $0.75 or so for the small boxes (great for books, dishes, glasses), $1.17 or something like that for the mediums (which are pretty big and great for almost everything else). We used mainly small and medium - we probably used a total of 30 small, 50 medium boxes, and 10 large boxes for a 2300 sq ft 3 bd 2 bath home. We probably bought maybe 5-10 of the large boxes for things like garage stuff but the bulk of the house was packed up in small or medium boxes. We stuffed large lightweight things into the furniture (pillows stuffed in drawers, etc. HD also sells rolls of bubble wrap. We bought 2 rolls of the green recyclable bubble wrap (each roll is 100 sq feet and perforated every 12 inches which makes them PERFECT for dishes, wrapping glasses, etc - no scissors required! Plus when you're done, they stack up neatly and you can resell them with your boxes).

They're sturdy, and I'll re-sell on CL for 50 cents a box or something like that after we unpack (boxes on CL go FAST!). Let me know if you need moving/packing tips - they're fresh on my mind:)

[boolady]

Home Depot has tons of moving supplies at reasonable prices.


I second Home Depot. Their box prices are excellent, and it's great to be able to run there for boxes as you need more. We had the same thought as you - no time to scrounge up free boxes this time. Home Depot boxes are $0.75 or so for the small boxes (great for books, dishes, glasses), $1.17 or something like that for the mediums (which are pretty big and great for almost everything else). We used mainly small and medium - we probably used a total of 30 small, 50 medium boxes, and 10 large boxes for a 2300 sq ft 3 bd 2 bath home. We probably bought maybe 5-10 of the large boxes for things like garage stuff but the bulk of the house was packed up in small or medium boxes. We stuffed large lightweight things into the furniture (pillows stuffed in drawers, etc. HD also sells rolls of bubble wrap. We bought 2 rolls of the green recyclable bubble wrap (each roll is 100 sq feet and perforated every 12 inches which makes them PERFECT for dishes, wrapping glasses, etc - no scissors required! Plus when you're done, they stack up neatly and you can resell them with your boxes).

They're sturdy, and I'll re-sell on CL for 50 cents a box or something like that after we unpack (boxes on CL go FAST!). Let me know if you need moving/packing tips - they're fresh on my mind:)


Great. Thanks so much. I would never have even though of Home Depot...I don't know why. DH or I will run over there tonight. ETA: And I'll take any packing/moving tips you've got! Thanks.

[traciann]

I second Home Depot. Their box prices are excellent, and it's great to be able to run there for boxes as you need more. We had the same thought as you - no time to scrounge up free boxes this time. Home Depot boxes are $0.75 or so for the small boxes (great for books, dishes, glasses), $1.17 or something like that for the mediums (which are pretty big and great for almost everything else). We used mainly small and medium - we probably used a total of 30 small, 50 medium boxes, and 10 large boxes for a 2300 sq ft 3 bd 2 bath home. We probably bought maybe 5-10 of the large boxes for things like garage stuff but the bulk of the house was packed up in small or medium boxes. We stuffed large lightweight things into the furniture (pillows stuffed in drawers, etc. HD also sells rolls of bubble wrap. We bought 2 rolls of the green recyclable bubble wrap (each roll is 100 sq feet and perforated every 12 inches which makes them PERFECT for dishes, wrapping glasses, etc - no scissors required! Plus when you're done, they stack up neatly and you can resell them with your boxes).

They're sturdy, and I'll re-sell on CL for 50 cents a box or something like that after we unpack (boxes on CL go FAST!). Let me know if you need moving/packing tips - they're fresh on my mind:)

This is exactly what I was going to say! We just moved a month ago and used Home Depot boxes exclusively this time. I didn't use the bubble wrap but the packing paper they sell for about $5 and it was worth every penny when packing up the kitchen. SOOO much better than newspaper. I have moved 3 times in the last 5 years and the home depot boxes were better than using free random sized boxes. They just packed and stacked so easily in the moving truck.

[sunshine873]

Did you check Craigs List? I thought I'd sell ours on Craigs List after we moved, but it turned out there were a ton out there for free!

Good luck!

[twowhat?]

Things that helped for our move. We (or rather, _I_) packed ourselves. I did about an hour every night after the kids went to bed for 2 weeks and got most of it done that way. Be sure you have plenty of packing tape. The worst is when you run out of tape at 10pm and just wanted to assemble a couple more boxes to pack!

Pack and label based on zones of your current home. Use a main label and a sub-label. For example: KITCHEN: pantry top shelf. KITCHEN: cabinet under window. KIDS BEDROOM: closet top shelf. KIDS BEDROOM: hanging stuff. BOOKS: cookbooks. LAUNDRY: cabinet above dryer. PLAYROOM: play kitchen. This works great because it's how you remember where things are. This will also help you tell movers where to place boxes for unpacking.

Label the SIDES of your boxes. I found that labeling one side is sufficient. When they're stacked on the dolly and the movers want to know where they go, it's easy to just walk around the dolly to find the label. Once the movers set the boxes down, while they're going out to get more, ROTATE THE BOXES so all the labels face outwards. Have them stack boxes where you can easily see all the labels (i.e. along walls, and then if wall space is used up create a second row but be sure there's enough space to walk between rows of boxes so you can see the labels).

Pack necessities into separate labeled boxes. Necessities are things you'll need to unpack immediately to get you through 2 weeks. Sets of towels, clean sheets and pillowcases, basic cookware, utensils, medications/first aid, kids' essentials like lotion, bath supplies, diapers, etc, clothing and shoes, laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, flushable wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, kitchen towels, coffee maker, coffee filters, plates, bowls, glasses, cutting board, essential kids snacks, cleaning supplies, favorite toys, trash bags, disposable dishware/cups, etc. I labeled these boxes with a hot pink post-it note and told the movers that these boxes need to be immediately accessible once moved - I had them put all the hot pink labeled boxes in one place.

Pack a toolkit. Make sure you have essential tools: hammer, screwdrivers, SCISSORS, MEASURING TAPE, boxcutter, drill and drill bits, flashlight, wrench, duct tape, masking tape, etc. Keep this in the car or somewhere near you at all times.

Mark boxes to go UPSTAIRS if you have a multi-level home. I used yellow post-it notes and wrote UPSTAIRS on them so the movers would know where to take them.

Use extra towels to wrap/pad items that you stuff in boxes. When you run out of extra towels, then use the purchased bubble wrap. You can save on bubble wrap for glasses by laying a sheet in the bottom of a box, then wrapping only every other glass placed in the box. Smaller dishes and bowls - wrap only every other dish, folding over the 4 excess corners to pad the opposite side for the next dish or bowl.

Stuff lightweight items like pillows, stuffed toys, beach balls into furniture. Leave pillow cases, sheets, etc ON and strip them once moved. Movers WILL SWEAT all over your stuff!

Think about where you want each piece of furniture to go, though the most important will be distinguishing between upstairs vs downstairs furniture.

If you have a FL washer - you need shipping bolts to prevent damage to the drum during a move.

I kept a large cooler filled with ice out with bottles of Gatorade and disposable cups for us and the movers and bought their lunches (this was an in-town move that took 6.5 hours).

eta: the post-it notes - I secured them with packing tape. They won't stay on well on their own! But the bright colors make it really easy to spot the essential/upstairs boxes. Boxes that needed to go upstairs AND were essential got both colors of post-its. Also - KEEP A SHARPIE or marker clipped to you at ALL TIMES! :)

[essnce629]

We got all our boxes from http://www.usedcardboardboxes.com/ when we moved into our new house 9 months ago. We got the 3 bedroom kit and it was a great deal. I had scoured CL for free boxes and also checked out prices at Home Depot, U-Haul, etc but this was the best price and all arrives right at your door! Highly recommended and would totally use them again. The boxes were all in like new condition and the sizes were great. Plus you can use the big retangular boxes that they ship the boxes in for stuff like large artwork, mirrors, pillows and comforters, etc.

[Twoboos]

Things that helped for our move.

This is an AWESOME list!! We last moved 9 years ago (pre-kids!) so this will definitely help!

And thanks to everyone for all the tips on boxes. I was a lucky enough to make a new friend who had just moved to town. She gave me a huge bunch of boxes and packing paper! :cheerleader1:

(Funny story: It's probably about 30 boxes. Dh thinks we don't need anymore. Did I mention we have a 4000sqft, 4br house? Yah, 30 boxes should do it. <eyeroll>)

[boolady]

(Funny story: It's probably about 30 boxes. Dh thinks we don't need anymore. Did I mention we have a 4000sqft, 4br house? Yah, 30 boxes should do it. <eyeroll>)

My DH would be the same way...that's why I went to Home Depot at lunchtime and got 20 boxes, the first of several trips, I'm sure. DH would come home with 5 boxes and say, "Well, now I can get the attic packed up." Right.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Add a post on Facebook. My friend did that and within an hour she had 3 people willing to bring over boxes to her!!

Beth

[crayonblue]

We've moved 10 times and never bought a single box! DH makes a few runs to Walmart (or whoever has a 24 hour store in your area) and picks up boxes in the aisles while the stockers are unpacking. They've always been happy to give the boxes away. Liquor stores also have great boxes.

If you are on FB, ask if anyone has boxes you can have. We just moved and have a whole garage full of boxes that we will put on CL for free when we get the chance.

I know a lot of people buy boxes but considering how easy it is to get them free, I'm not interested in paying a cent for them!