I assume you have already found a place to live in Stockholm and, if you are a non-EU citizen, obtained a residence permit. In case you haven't found a place to live, do apply to Wenner-Gren Center as soon as possible if you have a PhD. If you are a student, check out SSSB. If you are a researcher or a student based in Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm University, the Royal Institute of Technology, or Stockholm School of Economics, check out UAC. DO NOT expect you can easily find a private accommodation in Stockholm after your arrival. The Local, Sweden's online newspaper in English, explains how to find student housing in Sweden.
1. Plan how to finance your expenditures for the first two months
In Sweden, you cannot open a bank account until you obtain personnummer from the government, which takes 2 weeks to more than a month. Therefore, you need to plan how to finance your expenditures for the first two months of your life in Stockholm.
Probably the best way is to use your credit cards issued by a bank in your home country. As setting up your new life can be costly, it is safe to raise the credit limit of your cards or to apply for an extra card. Ask your bank how to transfer money to a Swedish bank account and to close the account when you are abroad, so you can do these things once you manage to open a bank account in Sweden.
Travellers cheques appear to be not a good idea because commission fees in Sweden are high, according to posts in Thorntree.
2. Buy electrical socket converters
If you come from US, Canada, UK, Japan or other countries not in red in this map of socket types, buy electrical plug converters before you enter Sweden. The paternalistic Swedish government bans the sale of socket converters (because Americans keep using socket converters without noticing the difference in voltage between US and Sweden, according to a shop attendant at Clas Ohlson). Sweden's plug type is C (two round holes, the same as most countries in continental Europe).
If your electrical appliances do not adapt to 230 voltage, make sure bringing a voltage converter as well.
3. Unlock your mobile handset
If you plan to use your mobile handset in Sweden, make sure it's unlocked so you can replace the SIM card with a new SIM card bought in Sweden.
(If you are from Japan and South Korea, this does not apply because your mobile handset won't work in Sweden---and any other countries---anyway.)
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