(FORTUNE Magazine) – ''Consumers are putting in remarkable amounts of time and effort to get quality at a bargain price,'' says Madelyn Hochstein, president of the DYG consulting group. Tell me about it, Madelyn. Here I am a typical baby-boomer, born in 1960, who, like many of my contemporaries, got whacked by the recession and was forced to change my shopping habits. My plight began last fall, in the perilous Manhattan real estate market. The couple who had agreed to buy my studio apartment -- and give me a $26,000 profit -- suddenly backed out. But I was already committed to bigger digs, and my $13,500 deposit was non- refundable. Though I scraped together enough money to buy the apartment and move in, I ended up wiped out, indebted to Mom and Dad, and living in a giant, empty echo chamber. Needless to say, I could hardly afford to furnish my new home in Macy's or Bloomingdale's. So I sought out alternative suppliers, and by avoiding traditional retailers I figure I saved around $10,000. My first purchase was a bed. I had always scoffed at those schlocky Dial-A- Mattres ads on TV -- ''Call 1-800-MATTRES and leave the last S off for savings!'' -- but a friend reassured me that this national distributor is terrific. Sure enough, it sells high-quality Sealy, Serta, and Simmons mattresses at up to 60% off department store prices, and with 24-hour delivery. After conducting a major mattress tour of Manhattan, where I devoted hours to testing beds in department stores and discount outlets, I dialed 1-800-MATTRES and ordered a top-of-the-line queen-size Serta Perfect Sleeper with box spring and frame. Total: $678. Next came the dishwasher. Shopping by phone worked once, so why not again? The building's super told me about Home Sales Enterprises/Dial-A -Discount, which sells Sony TVs, Whirlpool refrigerators, Westinghouse air conditioners, and other appliances at cut-rate prices. I got a GE dishwasher for $286, at least 25% less than I would have paid at the cheapest discount store. Founders Cynthia Reinhardt and her husband Alan, a former schoolteacher, operate out of their Brooklyn home, buy directly from the manufacturers, or their distributors, and hire independent truckers for free delivery to the customer. Customers pay cash when the goods arrive. When I finally had to go to a real store, I chose Ikea, the Swedish retailer that's turning the tables on the U.S. furniture industry. I tried the new one in Hicksville, Long Island, and returned with my rented car jampacked with purchases. For $195 I bought a birchwood coffee table that looks as good as anything I saw in traditional stores for twice the price. And for $7 each I took home a bunch of Ikea's ''Snobb'' brand bed pillows -- softer, I swear, than the ones in Macy's for $60. Cheap prices result from plain pipe-rack operations. The pillows came squooshed flat inside plastic and the table was packed for me to assemble at home. I bagged my own lamps, plant stands, folding chairs, and blankets at the checkout. And, thank God, Ikea doesn't have pesky furniture salespeople who hover over you; floor displays contain all the price information and specifications you need. So I wonder: Who needs Sears or Bloomie's anymore? Not me. - P.S.