Families facing rising prices might be tempted to hunker down and go the self-reliance route. Grow your own food, for example.

But that might not always be the most efficient, or at least economic, route, according to an interesting discussion that's cropped up on a New York Times blog. Stephen Dubner tells us he spent a fortune on buying ingredients for some home-made ice cream -- and ended up with a product that didn't taste all that good. He could have bought better-tasting stuff ready-made at the store for less money, he tells us.

Then again, he wasn't being totally self-sufficient. He still was buying the ingredients -- not milking his own cow. On the other hand, buying and feeding a cow would involve quite an investment, too.

People in on the discussion pointed out that the economies of the experience aren't factoring in the quality time spent with his kids on the project. And that personal projects usually are less economic when you're still on the learning curve. Someone just learning how to knit, for example, might spend lots of time and money on piecing together a sweater that, well, just doesn't turn out that well. After years of experience, though, that same knitter likely could produce a beautiful sweater for much less than it would sell for in a store.

Many point out that we went to mass production because it generally is more efficient.The survivalists would argue, though, that knowing how to and having the means to support yourself, such as growing your own food,  IS the fallback if the whole economy collapses. 

Where's that victory garden, again?

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