Cardboard, matte board and poster board are some of the most basic building blocks of models.  When the going gets rough, there are substitutes that can be found for free around your house.

Generally, unless that corregated look is what you really want normal box cardboard is not a great surface.  What works best is the slightly thinner cardboard that is solid all the way through. 

Cereal boxes and boxes from most food items can make wonderful model building materials.  Some have the grey cardboard back and some have a beautiful white surface for painting on the back.  Generally they are slightly thicker than poster board, and slightly thinner than other cardboards. 

The backside of sketchpads and notepads comes in a variety of thicknesses, and provides a great variety of thicker cardboards.  This material approximates matte board. 

Both the backs and fronts of old spiral notebooks can come in handy.  The front is about the same as poster board, and the back is more of a thin matte board. 

Excess packaging materials.  My sister bought a Lord of the Rings board game a few years ago, and there were all sorts of pop out cardboard pieces.  The excess cardboard that they popped out of made it to my work area, and I’ve almost used it all.  It’s a really thick cardboard and has a smooth surface.  The best part is that some of the edges are cut with repeating patterns that are perfect for various molding details, like dental molding.  Many times I find great model cardboards in the excess packaging of new purchases.

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