Just make sure you pick up after yourself. I’ve had probably 12 room mates since moving out, and MAYBE 3 of them were able to pick up after themselves.

Shit adds up fast if you don’t, and most people take for granted their parents doing it for them.

It is important to have a way to manage money. Bank account, checks, cash. The stuff that is important relates to sleeping comfortably, eating comfortably and having one comfortable chair. Bathroom items, a food store nearby, telephone, a way of doing laundry.

The rest can be accumulated gradually. @westy81585 has a point. Too much clutter is tiresome and makes more work.

Congratulations on your new-found independence.? What will you be doing? More school or a job.

Budget, budget, budget.

If you can manage your money well, living on your own will be a breeze. But this includes things like considering cost vs. enjoyment of, say, turning on the A/C or having the heat high enough to wear short sleeves.

Seriously anything else—from roommates to housing problems—is less stressful if you have a good handle on your monetary situation. This doesn’t mean having a lot, it just means living within what you have.

Keep a calendar of when things are due, rent, your share of utilities, etc., so you are not surprised.

Are you the only roomer or are you sharing a house? If the latter, make sure there are pre-set rules for taking turns and everyone sharing the load on caring for the common areas. Will you have access to a washer/dryer? If so, get detergent and stain treater, etc.

Do you have access to the kitchen? If yes, consider getting a small label maker and labelling your food containers. (Get a variety pack with different sizes of those Ziplock containers or the like.) If no, plan for a hot plate or small microwave in your room so you can make food.

What you can take on the train? Use a rollaboard suitcase to take books, CDs, etc. You will need linens for your bed, towels and wash cloths, kitchen towels. Those could all be taken early. You could pack your clothes and take those. Artwork for the walls. Curtains for your window.

If you can remember to water it, a plant will give off oxygen in your room.

Bring your own silverware and don’t let anyone else use it. Also, bring an assortment of glasses and mugs for personal use. And toilet paper. Don’t forget to arrange to have that before you need it. Same goes for Band-Aids.

If the room is totally empty (cos it’s new for example), take some lightbulbs and plugs/connectors.
Sometimes rooms lack these things, so be prepared.

Great answers already :)

@gailcalled I’ve been doing more school for a year already but have still been living at my mother’s for the past year, since we live only about 45 minutes of traveling with public transport away. Since public transport is free for students in the Netherlands, that worked quite well. I’d love some independence though, and am especially looking forward to not having to take into account when the trains ride when going home.

@Marina I’m sharing a house with thirteen others. Pre-set rules are already well-defined, the house is quite well-run. Have to check on the washer, worst case scenario I take my stuff home or find a laundry store. There is a kitchen, I think I’ll have my own space in the fridge, otherwise labeling is definitely a good idea.

@Mamradpivo Why shouldn’t I use common silverware?

@rebbel Ah, light and electricity, great tip!

@Vincentt My experience in living with roommates is that everyone has a different standard of cleanliness. I used to have to pick crud from between the prongs of a fork that one particular roommate hadn’t washed. I ended up having a clean set in my room for those just-in-case scenarios.

If you are moving out of your family’s home and into a rented room of your own, you will encounter practical differences and emotional differences (and some that are both). The responses above have done a nice job with the practical differences. Here are a couple of emotional ones.

1. You are going from living among the people who care most about you in the world to a place where there will not be anyone who notices when you come and go and where no one will care if you don’t show up for days.

(This does not apply if you are going to a dormitory room or school housing, where someone acting in loco parentis is supposed to keep an eye on you.)

2. You are going from a place where you may have taken certain things for granted—shared chores, home-cooked meals, a normal household’s supply of tools and materials and seasonal items and so on—to a place where basically nothing is provided but what you bring and there is no one on hand to rescue you.

These are a drastic changes. They are both scary and exhilarating. Don’t be alarmed by them. Just be aware of them. You are responsible for yourself now.

Taking care of yourself will build muscles you don’t yet have. They get stronger with practice. It is very important to gain those strengths for your life. Keep your head, use your good sense, and learn from your experiences.

And one practical thing:

Have your key in your hand when you go out the door. And carry a spare.

[Edit] This response was written before the completion of the above post explaining your living situation.

@Mamradpivo I guess that’s true, thanks, I’ll do that.

@Jeruba Those, especially the first one, are some good points. I’ve already encountered the second one a little bit since everybody but me was out on vacation so I’ve had to take care of myself for a few weeks already (minus having to pay for what I buy myself). And especially that last practical tip is very wel engraved in my mind – I’ve already hidden a spare one here, but luckily I haven’t needed that up til today. Still, there’s always the risk…

Are you going to be living alone? Or with people?

When I moved out I didn’t worry about bringing silverware, pots and pans, etc. (I did bring a rice cooker that gets used regularly by all of us).
Make sure your room will have lights and a fan.
Don’t forget toenail clippers or alarm clocks (2 things I forgot).
Figure out the internet situation. Specifically, find out if you’ll need a wireless adapter for your computer (most notebooks have these. Not most desktops).

Go food shopping the first day you get there. I don’t know why, but I felt at home the first day I actually put my groceries into the fridge.

edit: Oh yeah and silverware. This house has 3 mixed sets of silverware. They really don’t ever look very clean. If that’s something that bothers you, get some for yourself.

The worst thing I have experienced when living with roommates is the difference in cleanliness and neatness. Always keep your own stuff picked up and clean up after yourself. If you value quiet, be prepared to spend a lot of time at the library.

Well, I’m writing this lying on my bed in my new room. So far it’s been going OK, although I don’t have much in my room yet – a mattress and that’s about it, when it comes to furniture. It was a very good idea to bring light, indeed.

Though I did get the jeepers yesterday evening for a few minutes, strangely enough I don’t really feel all that excited or something right now. My dad just drove me here to bring the mattress, and got all emotional, and I didn’t quite know what to say. Somehow it doesn’t really feel like that big step that it is, but I guess that’ll come over time.

Anyway, thanks for the tips everybody, they’ve really been helpful.

Remember to find the biggest, baddest motherfucker in the house and kick his ass. Nobody will fuck with you, dawg.