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@PrincessBaby: not at all related to your question but how is H this morning? any better?

Most UHaul places sell them. I love the paper boxes that you can get from work. Super sturdy and they come with lids.

I second craigslist. There are so many people in my area looking to get rid of boxes!

I love the UHaul boxes!

I have historically collected them from work. But if it's a weird situation at work, I'd just get some at Uhaul.

We have gotten uhaul boxes twice, once having movers & the second just us. The time it was just us we had to unpack & repack a couple bc we overpacked them & couldn't move them! Oops. Lol

Out of all my moves (15+) I still much prefer banana boxes from the grocery store, just banana boxes though. They're free, have handles, & you can't overpack them. They stack easily so you can fill a room vertically instead of taking all the walking space & they're small enough for under the crib or in the closet storage. When we were done we just broke them down & put them in the recycle. I just can't bring myself to pay for boxes! Lol

ETA: We haven't moved states but have moved from city to city (about 3 hours away).

For banana boxes the bananas are first packed in a larger plastic bag & then packed in the box so we didn't have any issue with any of them being dirty. I was also able to grab what I needed so if a box looked beat up I just didn't grab it.

I guess I just wasn't really sold on the larger bought boxes... I really need handles! lol

my mom usually gives us boxes from her work.

I love grocery store and book boxes. I don't think I've ever purchased boxes, and we moved four times in five years. Egg boxes are the best because they have handles and are very sturdy.

I get them at the grocery store and liquor stores. Liquor boxes are always sturdy and usually similar sizes.

We got a bunch from work, between my job and DH's (office supply shipments and paper ream boxes), plus our movers included 10 free boxes. We also got a few from the liquor store (the wine ones are great to wine and somewhat sturdy glassware-- use the dividers to keep things in place).

Since you are moving a bit of a distance away (my moves have mostly been across town) I would say be very careful about grocery store boxes-- make sure they only held dry goods and are perfectly clean. The last thing you want is there to have been some food spilled in it that gets super nasty or buggy during the move!

And I second getting the garment box. Since we usually have moved close by, we just take things off the closet rack, throw it in the back of the car with the hangers still on (sometimes in garbage bags, sometimes not) and then carry up and put right onto the hanging rack in the new closet. This was actually really annoying this time and you are moving kind of far, so I say it's worth it to buy or rent the garment/hanging box.

Good luck-- we moved from a 1 bedroom apt, across town to a 2 bedroom apt, and we are still unpacking 3 weeks later. Also, I'm lazy.

Bookstores The university bookstore near me throws them out back before flattening, August is insane when they stock up for Fall.

I used to work at a printer and would take home the paper boxes with lids when I was approaching a move. But this last time we rented reusable crates made specifically for moving. I think the company was still figuring things out, but at the time they were way too big (and would get too heavy). Next time I'll make sure to get a smaller size, but I did like the crates in general.

@PrincessBaby: Those garment boxes are SO worth it for anything that you hang. Just pull everything out of your closet and hang on the box. Get to the new house - pull out and done. I HATE folding things up only to have unfold and re-hanger everything.

We asked at the grocery store and they gave us a lot. My mom also gave me boxes because she gets them at work.

We have moved states several.times, and I like to pack in clear Tupperware. It lets you pack early without making the stuff completely accessible. Also, your stuff doesn't get gross cardboard dust on them. Good luck!

@LovelyPlum: do you have any suggestions on where to get some for an affordable price??

I'm getting ready to move too!

@yellowbird: hmmm...we did like a pp said, and we looked on sale at big lots, wal mart, target, Sam' s, and BJs. Just watch that you don't get super super flimsy ones for anything heavy. Then they'll break and you're back to square 1. I also like ones where the lid clips on, as opposed to just snaps, though we had a few Rubbermaid roughneck that we liked and a few flimsier ones that we packed linens in and taped the lid on when it wastime to actually move.

It is also useful if you move often...then you don't have to buy them again.

Also, we did use some cardboard, but as little as possible!

Keep checking your craigslist! We've moved each year and I know once I'm unpacked I want those boxes G O N E so it's whoever responds first. They're usually in the 'free' section - you could also try your local freecycle email group

Glad your LO is feeling better!!

I usually save our paper boxes at work, since they're sturdy and have lids.