I can't give up. I'm not a trusting enough person to not tend to some of my own needs.
Given the info as I understand it, I would suggest you start with very basic, easy to grow vegs and fruits and take what you have into serious consideration; determining what your strengths and weaknesses are and problem solving what you are able, depending on what you find. You might want to enroll the help of an old-timer who will walk your yard with you and give you advice and brutal honesty.
I would go with greenbeans, squash, pumpkin, greens, beets, cucumbers, peanuts to start with. Introduce other things a little at a time. I read about Lasagna gardening. I have done similar projects and they worked out well for me, although I didn't call it that. Mulching makes things that would ordinarily be hard, much easier and more productive. The trick is to get your hands on enough material.
If you have enough time to study, go frequently to your local library and slowly become an expert on a few SS topics. We can't really all do it all. You have to pick your battles and come up with a plan and execute it.
Its good if you can have a lot of one thing and your brother, nextdoor has something completely different, etc.
You might want to subscribe to a few magazines that interest you, such as Hobby Farms, Mother Earth News, Organic Gardening, MaryJane's Farm.
If your garden needs help, start over with a better plan, but that doesn't stop you from cooking from scratch more often, setting up a clothes line, making your own laundry detergent, learning how to harvest from the wild and making your house more organized; like having a garage sale or making a massive clearing to simplify your life.
Don't bite off more than you can chew. You might want to try a little gorilla garden. It would be something small and might be easy for you to tend.
