It's hard to give you too many suggestions that aren't overgeneralizing, but here's what I've learned:
When I moved out, I made sure a single paycheck can cover my rent + utilities and possibly even one round of groceries a month if I could swing it (I get paid 2x/mo., so your mileage may vary). My other pay went to bills, groceries, gas and AFTER all that, pocket money. If I couldn't do that, then I was either living outside my means or I needed a roommate.
If you don't have any savings, you want to get on that with the quickness. Unless you're Batman, life will throw curve balls left and right at you, most of which will hit you straight in the wallet. I personally went a little overboard and made sure I had triple the amount that it would take me to move out (first, last month's rent, security deposit, moving costs, etc.), but it served me well when my car would crap out. Speaking of which...
If you can, buy as much stuff that you'll need to survive (kitchen supplies, bedding, etc.) before you move out. This isn't as hard as it sounds, especially if you have a Goodwill nearby. I've found so much kitchen stuff that I got for cheap which would have been into the hundreds had I bought new.
Learn to cook three or four good meals and stick with them. If you know how to make a meatloaf, you can have food for days depending on how much you make, the same with most meat that comes from a cow, pig or bird. If you can't cook, most markets now have pre-cooked meat that all you'll have to do is pop in the microwave or warm up in a pan and you've got instant meals. Seriously, though, learn to cook. You learn a good skill and that cliche about "the way to someone's heart is through their stomach" is a cliche for a reason.
Speaking of markets, NEVER SHOP HUNGRY. It sounds dumb but I know times when I've spent twice as much as I expected to when I walked into a market hungry.
Last thing: don't get lazy. Ever. There is no easy mode for living on your own, nor is there any way you can live on auto pilot. Get into a routine; Laundry on Mondays, cleaning on Wednesdays, market on Saturdays, whatever works for you, then STICK TO THAT FUCKER. The moment you go "I can do it tomorrow" is when you wake up in the morning and have nothing to wear to your job interview or don't have anything to cook for dinner when your date comes over and you get bummed out real bad.
Good luck, duder.
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