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BOSTON IS A city full of transients. Whether people are moving across town or across the country, they move into new apartments, condos, and houses at an incredible rate of frequency. As rents rise (but never fall) with each ’hood’s hipness quotient, people are often priced out of their pads and forced to find new digs, usually in another part of town. And then there are the students ...

So how do you make your new house, apartment, or room a home? It all comes down to the little things. We’ve compiled a list of items that can make your new pad more livable. In our quest to serve you, we’ve considered both form and function, and concluded that it’s best to stay away from novelty items: go with those objects that are truly practical. You won’t regret it, and besides, you never know when we may stop by for dinner.

Now that we’re growing up, our disdain for responsibility isn’t impressing anybody — especially when we get the phone shut off because the bill got lost in a whirlwind of paper. Crate & Barrel’s mesh file box with wheel base ($29.95 for the box, $9.95 for the base) is just the organizational office accessory we’ve been looking for. The sturdy silver matte milk-crate-style boxes have handles for easy carrying, and you can stack up to four. Now you have a place to file bills, receipts, warranties, and even napkins bearing phone numbers from last night’s excursion. (We never said you had to grow up completely.)

Because the water in Boston often tastes like one part rust and two parts swamp sludge, and buying tiny bottles of spring water costs a small fortune, we must resort to tedious and often inadequate methods of at-home water filtration. But constantly having to fill filtration pitchers and struggling to produce hundreds of ice cubes to cool water from the tap can make you feel like a drip. Make life easier for yourself by investing in a Poland Spring water cooler, with bottle delivery, for $34 a month. Having cool, pure water available at the press of a button will make you wonder how you ever lived without it.

To make your home feel like a truly happy abode, you need some good games. Nothing says fun like spiking a game piece across the room or gyrating in a loved one’s face while doing the " I won/you suck " dance. Taboo and Pictionary will always be favorites, but we get competitive chills just thinking about dart boards ($34.99 bristle, $99 electronic) from City Sports and the wood chess/checker set ($30) from Pier 1 Imports. And if you’re lucky enough to have a patch of grass to call your own, you can pass fall evenings bowling on the lawn with Pier 1’s Pentanque Ball Game Set ($50).

No place has much character when you first move in — unless you count the charming dust bunnies rolling around the bare floors. Rugs are most glaring in their absence: putting your bare feet down on a cold, dusty surface is no way to start the day. Good old Linens ’N Things has plenty of area rugs to choose from, including funky animal print accent rugs ($16.99), classic wool antique heriz rugs ($99), and moon- and star-shaped rugs ($39.99). And, lest we forget, nothing warms the tootsies like a good shag.

We need not remind you how much time you spend primping in the mirror or reading on the throne to make you realize how important a practical, cute, and comforting bathroom is. Shower curtains, above all, are large works of art that you encounter several times each day. So consider Urban Outfitters’ Twister-esque dot shower curtain ($26) or the shower curtain with pockets that allows you to place your own decorative treasures in the clear pouches ($28). Sturdy and slim shower-curtain rings ($12) are also a key investment. For more bath-time fun, pick up a bath puppet ($12) or ducky bath rug ($20) while you’re at it. And don’t forget the bubbles.

Looking for the soft lighting of candles without their sickeningly sweet fragrance? Afraid of burning down your new place? Urban Outfitters’ Japanese paper lanterns ($28) create atmosphere — for your porch or for any room that calls for a delicate touch.

You know you’re settling in to life in your own home when you get excited about kitchen tools. Ooh, yeah baby, that’s right — not only do the proper tools make your time in the kitchen easier, but they’re fun to play with. Get a grip on Oxo’s Soft-Grip can opener, ice-cream scoop, pizza cutter, vegetable peeler, and garlic press ($11 to $12), available at Williams-Sonoma. They’re the little tools with the big, cushy handles that are especially suitable for people with carpal-tunnel syndrome — or, for that matter, those of us who get the dreaded ice-cream-scoop hand-cramping after our third sundae.