[nonsensical]

I have always strived to be as self sufficient as possible. If there is something I don't know, I will learn about it. If my car starts making clunky sounds as I drive over bumps, I'll get under it and have a look. About the only thing I won't do unless I have no other choice is have someone else take care of it for me. In life, not having to rely on other people is what I'd consider true freedom. I know realistically this "true freedom" is not something that I will ever fully achieve unless WW3 or the zombie apocalypse occurs, but it sure doesn't stop me from trying. I love the satisfaction of being able to rely on my own knowledge and skills to get me through most of life's obstacles.

Any of you other INTP's feel the same way about being self sufficient?

[Peripheral]

Yes. This is something I spend the majority of my time thinking about. It is my goal, essentially.
Maybe you should elaborate on ways to achieve this?

[nonsensical]

I'm not sure how to elaborate on a generalization of self sufficiency.

But...

I recently bought a house and have been researching (as well as implementing) ways to be more energy efficient. I have also been learning how to do all my own home maintenance and repairs.

Next year I am starting a produce garden to further my self-reliance (and it sounds like a lot of fun to me).

When I bought a motorcycle years back, I learned all my own maintenance such as valve adjustments and carburetor syncing. To this day I have not taken my bike in for repair. Same with my car.

Basically, I start off with the small stuff and work my way up. I'm not afraid to ask for help when I need it, but I'll make sure to learn from them as they help me out.

[L]

I try to be as self sufficient as possible, however when it starts to bog me down when I would rather do something else then I don't worry about it. For instance I hate gardens, and I have yet to learn much about cars (it's on the "to do" list however), so I spend some amount of time at the grocery store and the mechanic lol.

[Valiums]

Self-sufficiency is an innate part of my being. I don't strive for it, it's what I automatically do.
I can't tell you how many times I've looked back on a problem and realized that the idea of asking for help never crossed my mind. Even when it would have made things a thousand times easier, I never think of it.

It's actually kind of a problem. :3

[myexplodingcat]

Welcome to the forum, I don't think I've seen you before. :)

Yeah, I do this all the time. I feel like if I don't do things myself and I have to involve other people, they'll come back more often and when they're not wanted.

[HandiAce]

One of the things that originally got me into the "green" and environmental movement was the idea that I didn't want to have to keep buying things or spending money on things that had no meaning to me in order to maintain the life that I live. For example, buying fuel for my car or heating system at home. Trash etc. My uncle actually delved into a TON of research on alternative energy when he was in college because he LOVED the concept of self-sufficiency.

[Bazinga187]

I'm going to go ahead and be the odd one out here. Not really. I like to know enough to get by. For example, it's useful to know how to change a tyre or generally maintain a car. However, I'm not going to learn how to repair an engine or something when I could just get someone trained to do it. I appreciate that asking for help is an option. The only time I don't is when I feel like I should be able to do something myself. Then I'll only accept help if I'm bogged down to breaking point. That's a rare occurrence though.

This could perhaps be because I'm younger than all of you, so I'm more used to relying on others like my parents. I haven't got to the point where I really need to be self-sufficient yet.

[M1R4G3]

If you ask my friends, my family or anyone that would happen to know me, then they could tell you that I'm self-sufficient. Usually to a fault. I've understood over time that everyone has their limitations and their own willingness of whether or not to do something. If you become too self-sufficient and detach from society, that also means that you no longer will have the means to use society's advantages. And quite frankly, I hate it when good resources go to waste.

[Haldir]

I'm only self-sufficient based on a simple evaluation: Is the amount of time needed to do the thing myself worth more than what the cost would be to get someone else to do it? If so, then outsourcing it is! Then, hello couch and book!