Several kinds of cushioning material are available. Heavy brown grocery bags provide inexpensive cushioning material. Crumple them and stuff them around the item to be shipped. However, newspaper ink is highly unstable and may come off onto anything it touches. Unprinted newsprint may be available from your local newspaper office.
Bubble wrap is more expensive, but very effective in protecting items.
Styrofoam bits also make effective cushions. Be sure to reuse them whenever possible. Be alert for other sources of free cushioning materials. If a local business receives but does not ship fragile items, they may be happy to pass their cushioning materials on to you. Newspaper, even shredded or crumpled, can usually be recycled when it can no longer be reused.