We're Under Contract!

After being on the market for five days, our home went under contract. Our realtor called us Wednesday night to let us know that an offer had been made. We were ecstatic! But then that night-- it hit me. Oh wow, we're really doing this. This house that we've lived in, that we've renovated together and made our own... we're really selling it. I thought we would have more time to get used to the idea before it sold. More time to pack and to wrap my mind around the idea of leaving Frederick. But no-- five days and one month is all the time we have. 
That night, I could hardly sleep! My mind raced with a ll the things that needed doing. How on earth would I get everything done in time? You know what, I decided, I'm just going to make a list of everything that needs to get done. Lists are the ultimate salve to stress, in my opinion. 
Here is my game plan for the next few weeks:
Our deadline to move out: April 28
1. Clean out the basement.  This will be our biggest challenge. How is it that we manage to accumulate so much stuff? My first main project will be to sort through the basement junk and determine what can be sold, what can be donated, and what will be stored. I hate working down there though because its a old-timey cellar... dirt floors, stone walls, low ceiling. Ugh! 
2. Sort through and whittle down our wardrobes. This project is pretty much already completed. You may remember my capsule wardrobe project last spring. Who knew then how much time that would save me this year? Since then, I've lost about 16 pounds so I ended up having to whittle down even more. Together, our winter wardrobe-- including shoes, coats, snow gear, and accessories-- fits into four Rubbermaid crates. Not bad in my opinion! 
3. Sell all large furniture items that aren't going to family or into storage. One thing about this move that is both exciting and challenging is the fact that we have to get rid of everything. I'm not joking. Every piece of furniture is either going to family, being donated, being sold, or being stored. Only small decor items and essentials are coming with us. My for sale list includes: our couch, the entry way table, our dining set, and pretty much everything else. 
4. Sell my Jeep. Since we'll be living in DC, there's not point in having two cars. We'll have access to public transportation and still have Mark's truck for longer distances and road trips. Plus, there's no sense in paying for two parking spots when we don't have to. So sadly, my car of 9 years will have to go. 
5. Throw a yard sale. Sometime in mid-April, we'll be hosting a yard sale to hopefully part with all the items we're not keeping. Any tips for yard sale hosting? 
6. Donate what's left over.  Whatever doesn't sell will just have to be donated. Here's a good tip for donating items and clothes: make a list of what you're donating. Because come tax-time, you'll be asked what you sold to determine the value of your donation. If you have a list and a receipt, then you're golden. 
7. Rent a small storage unit.  Living on a boat will present unique storage challenges I am sure. Thankfully, the boat we're buying has a lot of built in storage but certain things-- like out of season clothes and outdoor gear--may have to go into a small storage unit. Hopefully it'll just consist of clothing, Mark's mountain bike, and out golf clubs.   8. Box up and pack what's coming with us.  And it's not going to be much! Our clothes, our kitchen essentials, our food, our books, and some basic home necessities (sheets, towels, small decor items). We'll probably have to just haul this around in our cars for a bit until we can move onto the boat. 
9. Locate a temporary housing situation. Because the money for the boat purchase will largely come from the house sale, we have to wait until that's over to actually purchase the boat. Thankfully, we're assured that that process isn't nearly as long as a house sale. (We will get the boat survey and haul out done prior to closing on our home.) So hopefully we'll only have a week or two that we need to figure out a temporary housing situation. 
10. And move!  Once the boat is ready, we'll move onto our floating home! So in May, we should be in DC and finally finally finally no longer commuting 4 hours a day! 
It's a lot to do. But I've discovered that it's better to look forward and be excited for what's ahead than to look backward and be sad for the memories left behind. I'm confident that together Mark and I can tackle this move! 
Do you have any good moving advice? Or advice for getting to know a new (much bigger!) city?