Movin' out

[Specterbane]

pocheros put some great advice up there. Having lived with room mates in the past I could add a few things.

Go ahead and label your food. I know it seems like it'd be cool to go in together and split the cost of all the food, but it's something that'll grate on you when you were hankering for the block of cheese you bought and he finished it off. But paper towels and toilet paper (things you do share) should be traded off as to who buys them.

Having your own space is essential, the two bed rooms are a great call. As a part of that respect your room mate's privacy and try to be noticeable about when they'd like to be left alone or not. It really goes a long way to reduce conflict if you try to respect the other person and see problems from their perspective.

If you're going to split chores, make sure it's agreed upon for who does what when. BUT! Don't hold them to it all the time, if something needs done then you do it if you can because they could be having a hugely busy week. Going the extra mile on your own is a good way to be a great room mate, just don't complain about it unless you're obviously joking.

Just to reiterate: Budget and Savings are crucial, in fact you should put your savings for things in your monthly budget; setting it aside a little at a time to accumulate into an emergency fund.

This is going to be an adjustment for you and your new room mate. Endure the hard parts and be patient about getting to know each other as room mates not just as friends. It will be different, but this is a make or break situation for a lot of people.

Good luck to you, I've been there before and I'm going there again soon (moving out of my parent's). It's a big change, but it really is worth it once pull it off.