I met a lot of Yankees who lived by Ye Old New England Credo: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." I can assure you,OG, Spaw and Karenspaw do that, just as much as I'd guess a lot of us folkies do.
pdq, I have a friend who married a guy who used that John Prine song to woo her. The place in the country just went up in flames in a forest fire, the husband turned out to be a control freak arsehole, and they never grew any peaches. Thankfully she did have two wonderful children with him AND divorced him many years ago!:-)
Country acreage here in Colorado is nearly untouchable unless one is at least a millionaire. Also, anyone who thinks growing and raising their own food is a SIMPLE life ought to talk to people in the bush in Alaska or, read my grandmother's memoirs of homesteading. Just becuase one doesn't spend money and try to keep up with Joneses doesn't mean they lead a simple life. It can be tough, hard, frustrating work. I would guess it had a lot to do with the invention of "modern convenieces." :-)