Self Sufficiency

I am also looking into buying 1/2 pig, with the pheasants and rabbits that I can get from the local shooters I should be ok for meat as well.

We will see

First of all - thanks to all who have replied - it's very interesting to see where others are and/or where you would like to be in terms of self sufficiency! 

I'm interested in the idea of buying 1/2 a pig or 1/2 a cow, my mum did this one year and it worked tremendously well.  In fact when I was a child (I grew up literally in the middle of nowhere, Indiana USA) my dad had a reputation for not wasting anything.  My mum and I had the misfortunate to hit a deer once with our car and my father went back, found it, and brought it to our neighbour who was a butcher - we ate nothing but venison for a year!  A few years later, a hog (presumably from one of the nearby farms) wandered up to our house and just stuck around - eventually my dad built a sty for it and we fattened him up and - yep - ate pork for another year!  The beauty of both those experiences is that they were free!!!  Somehow I don't think a pig is going to wander into my back garden here in Essex - but you never know!!

I think total self sufficiency is  unachievable today.  You cannot pay your taxes and insurances with swaps and barters.  The people who do seem to make it happen usually make money from writing books tell us all how to do it.

Up  until I became ill we were 90% self sufficient in fruit veg and meat eggs and mil and dairy and power, but bought most clothing(second hand as a rule),however I don't think it's a question of how much,it's more a state of mind.'Self Sufficiency' has become a pejorative term in many ways,indicative of a chiefly middle-class dissatisfaction with continued rampant consumption(though I think thats justified and admirable).Perhaps it would be better to describe it as 'self-reliance',a desire to live beyond the reach of the worst excesses of a system that cant except your individuality.  That sounds really pompous,but I'm no writer.

Not pompous at all - I agree wholeheartedly.

the year after next as close as can be    just started my own lot so this year will start me cycle for next year and then all should be cool. prob only half year this year will be self sufficent

if it aint there or ready then i aint eating it simple

would love to have a few chickens also but i dont really think i have the room will have to see when i dig everything over and see what space i really have

I never know, does self sufficiency mean you cant earn money working for someone else

veg self sufficiency = in my book you dont have to buy veg from the store as your self sufficient. to be fully self sufficient in this day and age is in my books impossible

you would not need to buy ANYTHING from a shop as all what is needed could be had from your plot of land.......... im not even going to go into how i would pay my bills

We moved to France to become more self sufficient - we now have plenty of land, a lake and some woodland, so we cut our own firewood for the fire ( although we also have oil boiler for heating) grow own veg and have chickens for eggs and the occasional roast ( as we only eat our own grown meat).
We have our own well for water, and are not connected to the local water supply.
I do buy bottled water for drinking as our well is in a neighbours field and I do not know what chemicals he uses.
 
We would love to be more self sufficient in heating but it is all so expensive to start up.
This year we have installed photopholtaic cells to generate electricity and intend to get some solar panels in the next tax year for hot water - then get geothermal underfloor heating.  Lots of money and lots of work!!

I agree it is impossible to be completely self sufficient today, but having greater self reliance is certainly a goal.

We have not yet been here two years, so there is plenty to do and no real end in sight!!!!