Going off the grid is something i have wanted to do for quite a while now. While i'm not really close to that goal i know many people who are becoming more and more self sustaining everyday.

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Going off the power grid is just one step to being fully self sustaining, with an increase in our global pollution levels and humans using (and wasting) more and more resources everyday becoming self sustaining is both a good choice for you and for the environment.

Power/Electricity

This is probably the first step to becoming self sustaining and one of the most expensive, however after you initial investment, aside from maintenance of the system you choose costs will be practically 0.

With the reduction in cost of battery storage packs recently, thanks in part to the Tesla Powerwall it is becoming more and more affordable to become fully self reliant in energy needs. Whilst it may still be a few years before being off grid completely is viable for most households, you can stay connected to the grid but still live off your own power supply using just solar panels.

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Any excess power you produce can be returned to the grid and you will be compensated in credit anytime you go over what you're able to produce in usage.
There are a few steps to consider before setting up a solar system such as how much power you use, what sort of eligible roof space you have for the panels, your budget and how viable it is for your location

Certain places may not get enough sunlight to effectively run off of solar, as well as in a lot of built up areas your roof space may not be sufficient for a good amount of panels.
If you want to go completely off grid then you also need to take into account power spikes( when you have people over or use a large amount of energy in a day) and whether you have enough battery storage to support you for 3-4 days if you're unable to produce any at the time.

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Unless you have a large amount of land a system like above is probably out of your reach so it can be hard to go off grid if where you reside doesn't receive sunlight year round. Most parts of Australia where i live would be fairly safe although im in the lower section and we often get a week or two at a time where energy production would be minimal.

Water

For many people tank water is a way of life if they live in an area where mains water isn't available. Almost every new home now (In Australia) have something like this installed during construction.

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Again becoming self sufficient off rain water can sometimes be tricky, depending on the size of your tank/s and your roof area for collection it isn't always viable as an only option. You can always have water delivered to top up your supply but it's not ideal.

For most people their water tank is mostly used for things like flushing the toilet or watering the garden but you can use it for almost anything including drinking.
If you wish to drink your rainwater there are a few important steps to take note of first.
Ensure your roof materials are safe, eg no lead flashings/paint no treated pine and no tar or bitumen aspects.
Ensure your water supply cannot be contaminated by leaves/ animal droppings.
Install a water purifier.

While most households have a water tank these days a majority are too small to be of much use other than watering the garden. Consider installing a balloon type system under your house if not built on a slab, or if you have some yard space a large underground tank can be installed.

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I remember when i was doing my plumbing apprenticeship installing a 100,000 litre water tank on a large property, it took the excavator 5 days just to dig the hole. The client had a 1000sqm roof space to supply it with water and i believe they have never come close to running out and having to switch to mains ( at least not for recyclable uses)

While there are many ways to cut down on excess water use, having a decent tank system in place and being conscious of how you're using your water are the main steps. If you want to go completely recycled you will need at least 2-3 decent sized tanks minimum and a large roof space to supply said tanks, hell it may even be worth setting up water catchment devices to assist in filling your tanks, or using mains water until the tanks are full and seeing how they go when you switch off the mains.

Growing your own food

Unless you're vegan or vegetarian chances are you wont be able to supply yourself with all your food but there are many ways you can cut down on the cost of food and produce a large amount of your own.

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The good old veggie garden, almost everyone's nanna or grandma had at least a small vegetable garden.
They're easy to make, and can provide you with plenty of food for the future, you don't necessarily need a large amount of space for it either, if you're clever with space management you should be able to find plenty of ways to grow veggies without taking up too much room. Even consider a vertical style garden using pallets.

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Growing your own vegetables can take some time but if you do a little research and figure out when certain plants thrive, how long they take to fruit and make sure you plant a new crop before your old one runs out you should be right to go.

Another great way too provide your own food is, Chickens!!! aside from being a cool pet we all know chickens produce eggs (although be sure to check the breed as some produce more than others). Eggs are a staple of many peoples diets and having just 2-3 chickens can easily provide you with a fresh weekly supply of eggs. Obviously this depends on how many people you're trying to feed but if you get an egg a day off each chicken it only takes 4 days to get a dozen eggs from 3 chickens which is pretty damn good.

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Just don't eat them because pets aren't food :P

Other ways to be self sustaining

You can incorporate Aquaponics into your yard, Aquaponics is a combination of Aquaculture & Hydroponics. This means that fish and plants are grown in an integrated system, creating a symbiotic relationship between the two.

Recycle, this is an obvious one but a lot of people still don't seem to get it, recycle anything you can and most importantly compost! Don't throw your old veggies or off-cuts in the bin, grab a compost bin and put them to use.

Cut down on unnecessary wastage.

Learn valuable skills to fix things that are broken or re-use things that have broken for something else.

There are many ways to be self sufficient but the most important ones are the ones that will help us save the planet as well, saving water, using less fossil fuels and reducing the amount of land used for commercial farming.
It may seem daunting but it pays off in the long run and not only can you help your wallet but you will feel good about yourself and your contribution as well.

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Please note most of this is stuff i know but i did use these sites to help out a little
Resources
http://www.carbontrack.com.au/pros-and-cons-going-off-grid/
http://www.teampoly.com.au/knowledge-base/is-it-safe-to-drink-water-from-rainwater-tanks/