Hope you don't mind if I don't answer your questions in detail Henman004, but my income was what I would term modest, being in the range of 30-50K for most of my working life, though it was in the 20's at first - and closer to low 30's much of the time.
I didn't have a definite plan, other than to save what I could via IRA's and 401K's. At some point in my 30's I got more serious about it, and began putting more away (though it was never anywhere near the 40-50% of income some of our extreme savers here have achieved). I bought a house to live in when both interest rates and house prices in my area were low. A few years later, after a boom in prices, I sold, and used the money to buy 3 houses, which I rented out while reverting to renting an apartment to live in for myself. Then, as luck would have it, I sold all 3 houses at the peak of the local housing market in ~2005.
To aid my frugal endeavors, in 2002 I sold my car and bought a bicycle. To date, I am still using a bicycle as my sole form of transport - at the age of 51, an age where most self-respecting people would have their own vehicle. Thank goodness I am not in my 20's and trying to impress the girls
In retirement, I continue to live below my means. The fact that it doesn't take much to make, and keep me happy, helps a lot. I am like the proverbial pig in poop.
I didn't provide any more detail in my tale, as everyone's circumstances are different. Likewise, everyone is different in terms of how they plan for retirement. Some have their future laid out for them in a spreadsheet. Others, like myself, merely look for opportunities to maximize savings and minimize expenses, and trust their built-in sense of whatever-it-is to guide them
