The comedian Jerry Seinfeld once remarked, “..when you’re moving your whole world becomes boxes. That’s all you think about is boxes. Boxes, where are there boxes?…”

Does this sound familiar to you? Has the thought of moving made your world all about boxes? Do you stay up at night thinking about finding boxes, how to pack your belongings in boxes, or even which belongings should go into which type of box? If so, you’re not alone. Many people have the same questions when they move.

When you’re packing up to move, you’re going to need plenty of boxes to put your belongings in. Once you have enough boxes to fit all your stuff, then the fun begins. You’ll have to figure out which belongings should go in which type of box, how to safely pack your more fragile items, how to pack heavier belongings such as books, and of course move and store all of your boxes.

Welcome to the wonderful world of boxes! Use this as your guide to everything you always wanted to know about finding boxes, and likely much more.

But first things first, where can you find the boxes you need? Probably the easiest way to get boxes is to purchase them from your local self storage facility, truck rental, or moving company. You can save yourself some money and help the environment while you are at it by checking out some of these other options as well:

Friends and family

Before you start combing the area for boxes, you should check with family and friends to see if they have boxes or plastic containers that you can use.

Grocery Stores

Check with the manager of your local grocery store. They usually have a wide selection of boxes from shipped produce and merchandise. They will often give away boxes for free.

Liquor Stores

Liquor Stores usually have excellent heavy-duty boxes for shipping bottles that can work quite well for storing your breakables.

Newspaper and Internet Listings

You can usually find used boxes for free or deeply discounted prices by looking through local newspaper listings or online listings such as Craigslist.

Want more information on boxes? Check out The Wonderful World of Boxes Part 2: What Goes Where.