oh! something else that i found that helped me when i first lived alone.
It took me a while to realize, but the emptiness of my apartment (including lack of decoration) really contributed to the feeling of loneliness. I went out and spent about $50 on posters and put them up, got my friends to send me some pictures (frames optional) and put those up, and spent anothet $30 or so on crap at wal-mart. It really helped it feel more like my place, and the people on the posters almost felt like company. It really helped a lot. If you can get anything to decorate your apartment from your friends, family, and old living quarters, it would really help you settle in to spread it around your new apartment.