The Cheapskate's Guide to Retirement

Even if you're enjoying a comfortable retirement with a healthy portfolio, you may recognize a bit of yourself in retired physician Walter Gadkowski, 76, of Naples, Fla. He regularly tools around the neighborhood when his car runs low on fuel, surveying several gas stations for the lowest possible price. "I know we're in a financial position where we don't have to save pennies on gasoline," he says. "But it's just been part of our lifestyle for many years. It's kind of fun for me to find the cheapest gas."

Walter and his wife, Linda, 74, also own a house in Cape Cod, Mass. Linda sewed all the curtains in both their residences herself--because, as she explains, why pay twice as much to buy window dressings? And don't get the Gadkowskis started about eating dinner at a restaurant with a group of friends and having to chip in for expensive drinks or appetizers that they didn't order. "It used to really frost me, until we started saying, 'Well, let's do separate checks,' " Walter says. Pro tip from Linda: Wave the waiter over as soon as you are seated to request your own bill.

You may be well prepared financially for retirement when it comes to all the big-ticket items, such as your investments or your housing expenses. But you may not be thinking much about your smaller, everyday expenses: The book you bought on