Obscenely large Illustrator files - HELP!!

I realize many have asked before countless times "How do I reduce file size?" I have tried many of the tips and tricks I've read here and elsewhere on the Internet and continue to have problems. I'm hoping someone can help.
Here are a few details: I'm using CS6. My OS is 10.8. This is a MacBook Pro with 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7 processor and 8BG 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM. I'm working on large format packaging so we're talking about artwork that is at times 48" x 24" or more. There are raster images on the files, typically more than one instance of the same image (for different sides of the box).
I'm not saving PDFs, I'm saving AI files. When I save, I uncheck the Preserve Editing Capabilities and check Include Linked Images and Use Compression. I've preserved my spot colors but I have deleted all of my unused swatches, brushes and symbols.
Even when I do all of this, my file size balloons up to 300MB! What in the world??? All I can think of is it has something to do with the raster images. They ARE large (about 30MB a piece) but at this size format, I can't really reduce THEIR file size much without compromising the quality. These are TIFF files, though. Should I convert them to some other format before placing? I've had this issue with EPS files, too, however. It's just incredibly frustrating and creates issues for my printer as well.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can clue me in to something I haven't thought of yet. Most of my background is in InDesign and I've never had this problem in that program!

OK, thanks for the tip -- I assume that means I'll have to collect my links in a separate folder and send them to the printer as well? Would sure be nice if you could package files in Illustrator like you can in InDesign!
Here's my next question: I've tried what you suggested. This only makes my file even larger. Is this something to do with the fact that I'm saving over the old file? Do I need to save an entirely new file (i.e., does Illustrator have some kind of "memory" that recalls I've linked this image before?). It's almost like every time I save these files, they keep getting bigger!

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roodontwerp,
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and another similar website,
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http://daxxter.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/how-to-recover-a-corrupted-illustrator-ai-file/
http://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/troubleshoot-damaged-illustrator-files.html
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The size of the EMF spool file may become very large when you print a document that contains lots of raster data
View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 919543
Last Review : June 7, 2006
Revision : 2.0
On This Page
SYMPTOMS
CAUSE
RESOLUTION
STATUS
MORE INFORMATION
Steps to reproduce the problem
SYMPTOMS
When you print a document that contains lots of raster data, the size of the Enhanced Metafile (EMF) spool file may become very large. Files such as Adobe .pdf files or Microsoft Word .doc documents may contain lots of raster data. Adobe .pdf files and Word .doc documents that contain gradients are even more likely to contain lots of raster data.
Back to the top
CAUSE
This problem occurs because Graphics Device Interface (GDI) does not compress raster data when the GDI processes EMF spool files and generates EMF spool files.
This problem is very prominent with printers that support higher resolutions. The size of the raster data increases by four times if the dots-per-inch (dpi) in the file increases by two times. For example, a .pdf file of 1 megabyte (MB) may generate an EMF spool file of 500 MB. Therefore, you may notice that the printing process decreases in performance.
Back to the top
RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, bypass EMF spooling. To do this, follow these steps:1. Open the properties dialog box for the printer.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Click the Print directly to the printer option.
Note This will disable all print processor-based features such as the following features: N-up
Watermark
Booklet printing
Driver collation
Scale-to-fit
Back to the top
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
Back to the top
MORE INFORMATION
Steps to reproduce the problem
1. Open the properties dialog box for any inbox printer.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Make sure that the Print directly to the printer option is not selected.
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Obscenely large Illustrator files - HELP!!

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