living on your own

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Have a financial cushion. Don't rent a place you can BARELY afford to make the monthly rent payments on. Budget for utilities/internet etc if it's not included.

Hopefully have a friend/family member nearby to call on for help if and when you really need it.

Get into a routine of keeping your place clean or it will likely get pretty bad pretty quickly.

Find a place with laundry included or available.. it SUCKS to have to take your laundry to a laundromat and back, especially if you don't own a car. This is one feature of a place I would not want to be without.

If you own a car/bike etc make sure you have a place to park it securely somewhere nearby.

If you don't own a car, make sure you live near a convenient transit line. Living in the suburbs where I do.. it's about a 45minute drive downtown, or 2 hours via transit to get there & 3 to 4 hours to get home by transit at night depending on how far I had to walk after the buses stopped running close to home. Make sure you figure out your transportation plan.. the most otherwise perfect place could be a nightmare if it takes you all day and night to get to and from home.

Currently I've made the mistake of buying a house in a location based on where my friends live and where my church operated.
Since then both have moved away to the otherside of the city which kind of makes the house pointless in my eyes.
I would suggest renting as its a bit more flexible and less responsibility and don't choose a place based on reasons that can disappear.

i've been living on my own without roommates for over a year.

Save money before you move out. It's expensive, and you might be living paycheck to paycheck depending on your job. You never know when you need to dip into your savings.

Remember that if you do not do it (it being chores), it does not get done. No one is going to help you cook, clean or do the dishes. You must do it all on your own. Even simple things like vacuuming and scrubbing the toilet, and these pile up quickly if you don't stay on top of them.

get roommates. it helps with keeping track of life. I find when mine aren't home i completely lose my sense of time lol.

also feels less lonely. I mean everyone keeps to themselves but whenever the mood strikes there's people to talk to and it doesn't last long so its not tiring and kinda nice

It's all true. But just relax. Nobody will notice your filthy apartment anyway. Loads of NT people live in messy, filthy homes. I hardly ever vacuumed and toilet only got cleaned when it's brown. If mess doesn't bother OP then they aren't really a problem. I'm not saying it's ideal to ignore chores, but it's a lot for a newly independent person to handle. They can always be prioritized. Like shower is more important than vacuum carpet, clean kitchen counter is more important than neatly made bed.

Everyone here has good suggestions.Me I have someone who can help me with grocery shopping and looking for apartments. Don't forget to get a secured credit card to build up credit.

I've moved out 8 years ago and it's the best decision that I've ever made. I have all the freedom in the world.