It seems that whenever I ask advice of fellow cyclists (whether on this forum or in real life), I'm most often told to "get a coach." The implication is that hiring someone to assign workouts and analyze them will lead to huge progress in one's cycling, and not having a coach is a pretty big handicap.

-I'm young (and can't afford the 200+ dollars a month for most non-cookie-cutter coaching plans).
-I'm very disciplined (so having to report to someone won't necessarily make me train "harder").
-I read a lot (cycling books, exercise physiology books, magazines, internet articles, etc.).

Do I still "need" a coach? How many of you have done well in the sport without? Where do you get your workouts, inspiration, enthusiasm, etc.? What are your power numbers? What category do you ride? What are your core workouts? How do you periodize? Etc. Etc.

I realize that those are a lot of questions, and I intentionally made them broad. Ideally, I'd like this thread to become an exchange zone of ideas for the self-coached. Any input appreciated.