Self Sufficiency

So... I live in the country and have all my life.  My parents own cows. My dad cuts hay for those cows.   We don't use those cows to survive though.  I guess you  could say they are a source of emergency income.  Something happens? Need money? Sell a cow.  And during the spring/summer my mom plants a garden. Of course, this past growing season, all we got was squash.  I'm not sure exactly what happen to the tomato plants. They just didn't put out. 

So then there are the people who live out in the country and are almost totally self sufficient.   They have a garden without or maybe with a greenhouse.  They have means of storing their crops.  They have animals that they use. Chickens. Cows. Goats.  For the most part, they live off what they grow.  

Being a person who has always known the world of technology, I've been exploring what it means to be self sufficient.   I have realized how technology impacts my everyday life.  Like right now, I'm using a computer to post to my blog.  Back in the day, people just had paper journals and sometimes people would read them, sometimes not. 

I have a car. This allows me to drive the 20-25 minutes to my work.  Could I do it on a bike? In my current physical condition? No.  It would take a whole lot longer to make that trip. 
I also have a cell phone.  The impact that it has is not always a good one.  I feel lost if I leave home without it.  It connects me to people I may need to call. It connects me to Facebook.  It connects me to my email.  I guess the most important thing is that it connects me to 911 if needed.  And sometimes I think, what did people do back in the day? They dealt. 

At home, I have a computer, TV, air conditioning, microwave, stove/oven, heat.  What would I do if the power grid in America suddenly shut down and we were without power for an extended amount of time.  Die? No. Not necessarily. If I was self sufficient, I might have learned how to deal with not having A/C. I might know how to build a fire to keep warm.  I might know how to cook on that fire.  I wouldn't write blogs on the internet.  I wouldn't have Facebook.  And we all know the world will stop if Facebook goes down. :P

So I am seriously thinking of making some changes and doing some things to help me become more self sufficient.  

What do you do that is self sufficient?  How does technology affect your life?