Ruth Madoff's 'New' Life In Hiding

INSIDE EDITION spotted Ruth Madoff running everyday errands in Florida as she appears to be living a very different life from the one she lived before Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme was uncovered.

Ruth Madoff, the wife of Wall Street king Bernie Madoff, never knew the difference between "seeing" and "having." But she now knows the difference. She is living a humble life in Boca Raton, Florida.

People.com's Mike Fleeman says, "Ruth Madoff has been living like a pariah. She's been kicked out of her social circles, she's lost her homes - she is this sort of nomadic creature."

When Bernie Madoff's $65 billion swindle came to light, the Madoffs lost everything. A luxurious apartment in New York, a Palm Beach mansion, boats, jewelry, paintings, and worst of all, they lost their son Mark, who recently committed suicide.

"She hasn't processed it. Her husband's shame, her son's suicide, it's all been too much," says Fleeman.

Now Madoff is just another senior citizen in Florida, taking care of herself on a limited budget.

INSIDE EDITION's Les Trent reports, "Ruth wears a visor and when she's inside shopping she looks like any other retiree from the north, going about her daily business. She shops quite anonymously, and most people here probably have no idea who she is."

INSIDE EDITION watched Madoff sample a few raw string beans from her shopping cart.

Forget chauffeurs, the estranged wife of the most notorious swindler in U.S. history drives herself around in a 15-year-old Infiniti, which has a book value of less than $3,000.

"For a woman who had it all, no job is too menial, including dropping off and picking up her own dry cleaning," says Trent.

The one remnant of luxury was the Goyard designer shoulder bag she was carrying; it costs about $1,000.

"She's fallen so far, she is still numb to what is happening," says Fleeman.