Craigslist. ;)

Craigslist and Facebook ... just search for "moving boxes". You can get them free to really cheap.

Yes, we gave away tons. Good luck!

We listed them on the local community facebook pages, and they went fast.

If you have a community social network like nextdoor, then post to that network indicating that you are looking for moving boxes. At this time of year, there are usually a lot of them floating around.

Walmart has cheap boxes.

Local Storage Rental Place has sign saying they have moving boxes.

U-Haul also sells them.

If you need special sizes, I found one storage place that had three sizes of art boxes, wardrobes in 2 sizes, lamp boxes and some other odd stuff. You may need to look around if you need those.

Home Depot had cheapest bubble wrap in small and large bubbles and tape, HD also had several sizes of regular boxes. Don't forget file boxes with handles, from Costco or office supply stores. I packed a lot of books, and these kept me from loading them too heavy.

Liquor stores have nice heavy boxes, & Aldi Grocery stores have smaller ones that are good for books etc.

Printing companies may have some and will usually save them for you if you ask. I also got a lot of them really cheap once at a box factory. They were misprinted and had a spark plug guy on the side!

Banana boxes from Wal-Mart are good and sturdy.

Bookstores throw away small, heavy-duty boxes.

Bookstore? What's that?

Where can you get large, flat boxes suitable for a tv?

Home Depot has them, and some of the U-Haul/storage places. Be sure to get the complete pack with padded corners and the protective bag. The art boxes are merely 4" wide. The TV boxes are more complicated.

I know you don't want to pay for boxes, but ULINE has "moving kits" that have the necessary boxes plus the packing material, tape and markers.

Moving Kits

I wrap the TV in old blankets. I didn't try to find a box.

Wrapping the TV in blankets is fine if you're putting it in the back of a truck or in the backseat and driving across town. Doesn't work if you are using a moving company.

Costco or Aldi will give them to you. I also brought home lots of paper boxes (with the lids) from work.

Great list! Thank you! I will pass it along to her. It should help a lot.

"Where can you get large, flat boxes suitable for a tv?"

From the stores that sell TVs ...

Schools may have boxes, especially with the recent startup. They get books, copy paper and all kinds of supplies year round, but lots at the start of the year. But they also recycle, so you would have to get them before they are removed each day.

Assorted collected boxes can work for a self move, but if the friend is going to use movers for hauling the stuff, or if they will have to pack it for a longer move (a pod or self move), I would suggest making the investment off $50-100 for fresh packing supplies. I bought 25-30 moving box assortment, 1 large picture box, 2 wardrobes, a bundle of newsprint and a roll of foam (the guy at the store said bubble wrap pops too easily especially wth plates or anything with points or edges), roll of shrink wrap, packing tape, cutter and marker (they were included in the bundle) when we moved my son for grad school. It was a much easier move than when we moved my dad in a lot of collected boxes and some moving boxes. Having regular size boxes that stack neatly make packing easier as well as the move -- a stack moves smoothy on a hand truck rather than some odd boxes being hand carried or causing the stack to fall. They also load into a truck or trailer much cleaner and neater, and that means they travel better too -- less shifting. May mean less damage in the move. Saves time and that may mean money, depending on the move. Also, clean new boxes leave no question where any damage occurred and you save time by going to one place, getting everything and getting straight to packing rather than running around. I've done it both ways, and I've recycled the boxes for the next person to use. Just saying that there is a value in using moving boxes that you may not see until you are deep in the process or reach the other end.

If you are hiring a moving company, they often give you used boxes gratis.

Since TVs are so manageable now, not the 300-lb dinosaurs we grew up with, I'd take my TV with me if at all possible.

example of impossible: 54" tv. Prius.

Wander around and look for someone moving in. I coudln't even give away my used boxes after I moved. They all went into the recycling.

Ask around at stores. If you are looking for TV boxes, ask at stores that sell tvs. In our last move, we hired a company to move us, and they had the most amazing boxes. They are available at UHaul places or UPS for purchase, for less than you would expect. We recycled them after the move, but saved some (like the wardrobe boxes with a pole to hang clothes!) for winter clothes storage in summer.

Ask your friends. I worked at a company until mid July where they got shipments in boxes and boxes for all sorts of things. You might not do so, but some of your friends might be in such places. I have a whole batch of boxes here from before I officially retired -- and I have friends who will line some more up when it is really time to move. Note - these boxes, if not procured by employees, end up being crushed up and recycled that way. So taking them is Win-Win.

Go to your local supermarket. They will have many boxes to give you.

Apple & Banana boxes are the strongest !

Ask Central Supply at a local hospital to save them for you. You'll have to pick them up daily or they will dispose of them. But you can get hundreds in a week.

We are getting ours from the local nursing home. Ask ahead a couple days and they save up a big pile. They're nice ones with handles.

I saw a whole bunch of sturdy boxes in the back hallway at my local Starbucks recently one Monday morning. (had to hit the rest room there...) Ask for them to save some for you.

Lascatx has the right idea: If all your boxes are the same size, packing a moving van or rental truck goes easier. Loading is faster and safer, there's no wasted space and less shifting in transit.

Best place to get a mess of same size boxes free -- the paint store. Get the ones that contained 4 gallons of paint. The cardboard box lids will still be attached and that's good. They aren't so big that they are likely to get too heavy on you, no matter what goes into them. They don't stink of bananas or chemicals, are all beat up from repeated use, or have openings in the sides.

One downside is that you may have to make a few trips to the paint store to collect all you need. The folks there will probably be happy to save them for you, though.