My dog is 7 years old, and I have had her since she was 12 weeks old. She is an American Cocker Spaniel, which means seriously thick, fast growing coat. She has only been groomed by anyone besides me once, and that was because I had broken the wrist on my dominant hand and couldn’t pick her up, or hold the clippers for that matter. It cost CND 90 to have her groomed, after adding in all the add ons like nail clipping, ear flushing etc. By grooming her myself, I have saved CND 90 every 6 weeks over her life to date , and will continue to save it for the rest of her life.
I spent about $400 to get set up with the grooming table, professional dryer, clippers and blades, scissors, nail clippers etc.
By my estimate, I have already saved $4600 by grooming my dog myself. It takes me about an hour to do it each time, and I can do it when the fancy strikes me, no grooming reservations, drop off or pick up times etc.