Dry cleaning prices drive me nutty. It's not that I need to use their services often; but in my area, one company has bought up some of the independents -- wiping out most of the competition, and raising prices overall.
Went to Google to see if I could bypass dry cleaner and wash a down comforter. Yupper!
I also came upon a good web site, Everyday Cheapskate. It has all kinds of tips, etc., for many different topics. (Mary Hunt, the author, also mentioned that as long as you keep your down comforter covered in a duvet (which I do), then the actual comforter, itself, rarely needs cleaning.) The duvet cover needs to be laundered, but that's quick and easy.