Retirement Group

   Enjoying the Golden Years

Retired? Close to retirement? Wish you could retire? Then, Dumbarton's Retirement Group (also called The Retreads) may be just for you.

Format: The group meets once every two months to go over a topic of choice and to share experiences about it. A potluck dinner is held at one member's home, usually on Saturday or Sunday night.

Some Topics: What are you doing in retirement and how is it working? How to write instructions to withhold life support when incapacitated. Senior Communities. Co-Housing. Financial Planning, Getting Rid of Clutter.

De-Cluttering Your Life

What are we going to do with all of that junk in our houses? Some members of Dumbarton’s Retirement Group have lived in the same home for 40 years or more. How do we know what to toss out and what to keep? And how do we get motivated to sort it out?

Victoria Robinson, who runs Clutterbucks, a professional organizing company, had an exercise for people to set their priorities at the Doan/Craddock house on Oct. 30.

She said to imagine what they would remove if they knew a bomb was to go off in their houses in eight minutes and their families and essential records were already offsite. Among priorities the 19 participants set: Family portraits, photos, memorabilia, computers, medications, jewelry and valuable silverware.

Robinson said people may want to keep things of sentimental value especially. She noted that many things we use daily can be replaced. In deciding what to keep, she said, ask yourself: 1. Do I like it? 2 Does it have personal meaning? 3. Does it have specific immediate use? 4. Can someone else benefit from it? 5. Can I find the same thing online or in a library if I decide I need it later? 5. Can I replace it? 6. What does it cost to keep it? 7. Have I used it in the last year? 8. Are there legal reasons to keep it? 9. What is the worst that could happen if I don’t keep it?