is homesteading a good idea to do for Trads in General?  What are the benefits of such a way of life?

What places in the US is receptive to homesteading with a nearby TLM community.

What benefits are there for the family? How does homesteading work?

Who were/are plain catholics?

There're some websites that come up in a search engine.

They're basically homesteaders, that dress quite modestly and plainly, and live the simple life.

I once heard a sermon that mentioned that technology warps family/gender roles, because it enables their deviations -- homesteading certainly compensates for this.

Farming and homesteading tend to go together to a degree no?

So, OTOH, my aunt who grew up on a farm the other day, like many who do so, wanted to escape that life. Being on a farm she said, 'is like marriage'. It's a high level of commitment, 24/7.

I've always been attracted to the idea of self sufficiency, to the extent that it is possible. So what one can do, to manufacture one's own necessities has always been something I've kept an eye out about.

I've never lived that life myself, so I do not know as much about it as I would like despite this.

The description of the Plain Catholic way of life I'm familiar with is this:

"St. Francis de Sales sums up this Scripture with “You can attract more bees with a spoonful of sugar than a cupful of vinegar.” He also wrote, “Souls do not wish to be bullied, but gently brought back; such is the nature of man.” Thus Plain Catholics prefer gentle explanations instead of harsh debate.

Plain Catholics go to Mass either Novus Ordo or Tridentine. We practice some form of regular family devotions and prayer life. Humility, obedience, separation from secular culture, and a steadfast commitment to spiritual growth are the four cornerstones of the charism. Note that these four cornerstones are common denominators in all the vows and spiritual constitutions of the different religious orders as well. Many Plain Catholics are members of a third or secular order of a religious community such as the Lay Carmelites, Lay Cistercians, Lay Dominicans, Oblates of St. Benedict, Secular Franciscans, etc.

Ours is not a utopia nor a perfect paradise. We work hard, pray harder. The difference is that we hope to be a living witness to the joy and hope of our salvation. By our example, we hope to encourage others to depend on God in both the good and the bad days of life.

Plain Catholics do not buy expensive houses or cars. Many practice homesteading skills such as gardening, sewing, raising livestock, blacksmithing, carpentry, canning, etc. We prefer to have fewer "tech toys" and more hands-on activities, thus saving money and developing useful skills as we spend more time with our children. The children learn these skills at their parent's sides. Spending time together as a family is a first priority of Plain Catholics. We seek to model our lives on Benedictine balance in our families: prayer, work, rest and recreation.

Some have computers but most do not have television nor even radios (except for the Weather Alert radio). If we do have television or radio the use is restricted to Catholic programming, weather, and news information. By controlling mass media and communications technology, Plain Catholics remove the distractions which fracture many families and isolate the children from the parents. Homeschooling is the education of choice but some do attend Catholic or public school.

Plain Catholics volunteer both in our parishes and in our communities. As visible witnesses to Christ, we hope to preach the Word and the Faith by example and actions which honor God and His Church. Though we choose to live separate from popular secular culture, we are active participants in our local parishes as we also believe in the diversity of ethnic charisms of the Roman Catholic Church.

Most of the Plain Catholics agree that all are in different stages of Plain-ness. Unlike the Amish or other groups, Plain Catholics are not, as yet, gathered into a community with a common rule. At the present time we are individual families who pursue this simple and plain lifestyle. If God so wills it, there may be Plain Catholic communities in the future.

In short, Plain Catholics are one of the many cultures and charisms that exist in the Roman Catholic Church; we have Vietnamese Catholics, Italian Catholics, Irish Catholics and Plain Catholics. Plain Catholics may come from any ancestry. Their culture is based upon simplicity and the counter-cultural witness against excessive consumerism, immodesty, and other notions that are so prevalent in the world. "

"When people wonder why our clothing is so like other plain clothing the answer is simple. We have found that excessive decorations and Jєωelry are admonished against in 1 Timothy 2:9,10. Likewise, decorations and Jєωelry are not very practical in the day to day life of chores and work in the Plain Catholic home. When clothing is basic without all the "bells and whistles", it becomes quite standardized in appearance and form, akin to economy automobiles that have only the basics and appear indistinguishable from one another. In short, Plain Catholic clothing is simple, unadorned and quite practical for the life."

Has the Plain Catholic ideology ever been admonished by those in the Church heirarchy? I'm not trying to put them down in any way, and actually it sounds like there is nothing contrary to Catholicism- I (for now) see it as the same way a monk may choose a certain order of monastic life and principles...

It sounds like Plain Catholics are clearly traditional in life-style.
Are they also preV2 Catholics or a mix? As you mentioned some attend the NO.

It sounds like this is taking it to the extreme opposite of vanity. Wh must the pendulum swing all the way to the other side? Try stopping half way. There has to be a balance or looking presentabel with out being vain.