If ‘save more for retirement’ is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, there’s good news for you in 2018.

What does your ideal retirement look like? Living in a tiny place and eating the senior special at 4:30 p.m. every day, or having a comfortable home and eating dinner whenever you want? You can create the easygoing retirement of your dreams if you know how to take full advantage of the perks available within your tax-advantaged retirement plans.

Setting up your 401(k) contributions isn't rocket science, though it can feel that way, especially to those who aren't sure how much retirement will cost. There isn't a universal magic number, but there are a few pretty simple strategies you can use to come up with your retirement savings number right now.

The purpose of a 401(k) is to provide retirement income, so the last thing you ever want to do is access that money while you're still working. But if times get tough and you grow desperate for cash, you might be tempted to tap that account early and access the money that's technically yours.