在如今这个年月，不花钱过活几乎不太可能。不过，一对澳大利亚夫妇近一年来就过着这样的生活。这样过日子可不简单，但他们还是想方设法做到了。

　　Rachel Newby, 24, and Liam Culbertson, 26, have come up with innovative ways of making it through the year without any cash. They built themselves a new home on a friend’s plot in West Gippsland, a rural region in Victoria. The house is made entirely out of scrap timber and recycled materials. They grow their own food, and at times, don’t hesitate to dive into dumpsters for leftovers. They also help out local farmers in exchange for fresh produce and yarn.

　　蕾切尔?纽比现年24岁，她的丈夫利亚姆?卡伯特森26岁。夫妇俩为了可以不花一分钱过上一年想出了种种奇招。他们给自己在维多利亚州乡下的西吉普斯兰地区盖了一个新家，新家建在朋友的一块地皮上。房子完全由木材废料和可循环材料建成。他们自耕自给，偶尔也到垃圾桶里找些残羹冷炙。他们还为当地农民打下手，好换得一些新鲜食物和纱线。

　　澳夫妇体验生活 一年来不花分文

　　“We enjoy the feeling of being able to choose what we do regardless of money,” said Rachel. “We don’t have to worry about rent or plane tickets or food or fancy clothes. Effectively, all of our time is free time because we get to decide how we spend it.”

　　“我们享受这种抛开金钱，自给自足的生活。”蕾切尔说，“我俩不必操心房租、机票、食物或华服到底要多少钱。事实上，现在的生活自由极了，我们能完全自主地安排自己的时间。”

　　Rachel and Liam moved into the house in January, but this isn’t the first time they’re experiencing living off the land. While Rachel spent two years previously on an organic farm in Canada, Liam has traveled to the Arctic. They’ve both always tried to use local produce and be as eco-friendly as possible.

　　一月，蕾切尔与利亚姆搬进了新家，这可不是他们第一次过自给自足的生活了。此前，蕾切尔在加拿大的一个有机农场生活过两年，利亚姆则曾赴北极旅行。夫妻俩都尽量使用当地土产品，不破坏生态环境。

　　But in spite of all their experience, they claim that this last year has been quite difficult. The soil on their patch of land is rather infertile, so they’ve been struggling to grow crops. The climate is pretty harsh as well, so their makeshift residence isn’t holding out too well. The thrifty home – a 2.5 square meter structure – is really only good for privacy. They shower under cold rainwater collected on the roof, and share toilets with the rest of the community. And because they have no appliances, they wash their clothes in the sink.

　　尽管有过自给自足的经验，两人依然表示，过去的一年困难重重。他们居住的地方土地贫瘠，种植粮食并非易事。当地气候条件严苛，临时居所时常风雨飘摇。这间2.5平米的小屋，仅仅是个简陋的容身之处。两人不得不搜集屋顶的冰冷雨水用于洗浴，上厕所还得与他人共用。家中没有任何电器，夫妻俩只能在水槽中洗衣。

　　Even though they don’t have jobs, Rachel and Liam don’t have a lot of leisure time to waste. They spend most of the day working for local farmers – planting vegetables and picking berries, just so they can earn their next meal. They have five ducks that provide them with fresh eggs, but when supplies go low, they have to go sift through dumpsters for discarded vegetables, fruit, and bread.

　　虽然两人没有工作，蕾切尔与利亚姆却也没有多少休闲时间。他们大部分时候得帮当地的农民打打下手，比如种菜或采莓子，才能换得一顿吃的。他们饲养了5只鸭子，不时能吃上新鲜鸭蛋。不过，食物不够了，他们就得到垃圾箱里找吃的，拣别人扔掉的蔬菜、水果和面包。

　　Despite the couple’s best efforts, their experiment hasn’t remained totally cash free – Liam needed dental work earlier this year, which cost the couple $300, and Rachel also had to spring for a new bike so she could ride into town. But those were pretty much their biggest expenses for the year.

　　夫妇两人虽苦心经营，但还是碰上了花钱的时候。今年早些时候，利亚姆去看牙医，花掉了300美元，蕾切尔为了方便进城，也不得不买了辆新自行车。不过，这些钱大概是他们这一年里最大的开支了。

　　With only a few months left of their cashless year, the couple hasn’t decided if they’re going to return to civilization or not. It’s not easy, but they might just continue to live off the grid. They seem quite happy with their lifestyle despite the hardships, and they get along really well with their neighbors too. “Older folks seem to love the idea of us doing what they used to do as kids, or in some cases, as young hippies,” Rachel told That’s Life! Magazine, adding that she and Liam might just burn out from all the work, but they’re enjoying themselves for now.

　　还有几个月，他们分文不花的生活就要满一年了。夫妻俩尚未决定是否要回归文明世界。自给自足并不容易，但他们或许打算继续过下去。尽管困难重重，两人似乎开心不已，与邻居相处得也十分融洽。“老一辈似乎很支持我们，毕竟他们小时候就是这么过的。他们中有人年轻时还当过嬉皮士哩，”蕾切尔告诉《活出精彩！》（That’s Life!）杂志。她说，虽然丈夫和自己最终可能精疲力尽，但两人都很满意目前的生活。

　　Vocabulary

　　living off the land: 靠山吃山，靠水吃水

　　spring for: 为……付账

　　live off the grid: 隐居

　　burn out: 精疲力尽