and the liquor store boxes are sturdy and not too big

I did not know there was controversy about Jon and Kate! And I think I'm a little defensive about Kate, since I grew up with a cranky mom. And there was just one of me!

Yeah, liquor store boxes are the best.

The last time I moved, I bought boxes at a place like this one [link] in Baltimore, whose boast is that it supplied boxes to The Wire and Homicide. Because I am a freak, I wandered about the box warehouse with several representative sizes of books, to find the sizes they would fit in with the least movement. I ended up with misprinted Kotex and Clorox boxes. The advantage, if you have as many books as I have, is that the book packing goes really fast if the boxes are the same size.

I just cannot wrap my head around buying boxes.

I am trying to think of what NYC neighborhood would have parents around mac's age that are people I could see myself become friends with. I am getting kinda exhausted not having any neighborhood friends.

Yeah, and check craigslist's free section. There are almost always some folks on there trying to get rid of their moving boxes.

I did not know there was controversy about Jon and Kate!

I didn't either. It seems to me like they do a pretty good job in a situation that would make me lose my mind.

Yeah buying boxes if you have much to move is expensive. There are so many ways to get them for free. Target is happy to give away boxes, though theirs are large and flimsy (but perfect for clothes). To keep hanging stuff from wrinkling I have sometimes found it worthwhile to buy one or two wardrobe boxes, because I did not trust my movers to keep unprotected clothes undamaged.

I hear ya, msbelle. Lack of neighborhood friends is a big drag, between the driving forever for a playdate (which tends to mean I'm sticking around too), and the lack of nearby friends to help out in an emergency (and vice versa, of course). The biggest plus of Franny being in a neighborhood school is that her friends live closer to us.

Liquor store boxes are often double-walled, which makes them nice and strong.

When I was moving, I got all my boxes from the cardboard recycling bin at work. Since our office was in a building with a luggage repair place, I got quite a few luggage boxes which were tall, broad and narrow. They were great for pictures and posters, and any longish things (like my camping equipment, curtain rods, cookie sheets). I also got a lot of big CRT computer monitor boxes, which were great for clothing, bedding and towels--nothing too heavy. Mostly I got photocopy paper boxes, which are great because they have handles and lids. I found them especially great for kitchen stuff.

I passed most of my boxes off to a co-worker who moved shortly after I did, but I kept a bunch of the photocopy boxes. I find them very handy.