I'm trying to learn how to groom at home too, my groomer is like $60 *or more, and that's before tip* so I'm trying to limit professional grooming to 2-3x a year.
I have no experience with grooming a dog.
I brush Lola every night, I put her on my table with a towel under her and I give her little dog cookies to keep her occupied.
I buy "teddy grams" and "animal crackers" at petco, they're like $4.50 a pound and they're loose, so you can buy a small amount. They aren't the healthiest, but they'll do until I find something better. She gets 1 1/2 animal crackers while being brushed and 1 teddy gram while I do her top knot.
I like those treats because they keep her occupied for a decent amount of time, but not so long that she wants to run away with it.
I've also trimmer her private areas with a cheap set of small clippers and I've trimmed the edges of her feet and between her paw pads with rounded edge kid scissors.
The vet trimmed her nails for me, but it needs to be done again.
I need to get over my issues with cutting her nails and ears.
I'm keeping the hair by her eyes long and she wears a top knot, so I won't have to get too close to her eyes with scissors.
The kid scissors I have are like these, they're actually pretty sharp
Amazon.com: Fiskars 94167097J Kids Classic Blunt...