In this day and age, living without money sounds almost impossible, but that’s exactly what this Australian couple has been doing for almost a year. It’s been anything but easy, but they’ve somehow made it work.
在如今這個年月，不花錢過活幾乎不太可能。不過，一對澳大利亞夫婦近一年來就過著這樣的生活。這樣過日子可不簡單，但他們還是想方設法做到了。

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.
蕾切爾?紐比現年24歲，她的丈夫利亞姆?卡伯特森26歲。夫婦倆為了可以不花一分錢過上一年想出了種種奇招。他們給自己在維多利亞州鄉下的西吉普斯蘭地區蓋了一個新家，新家建在朋友的一塊地皮上。房子完全由木材廢料和可循環材料建成。他們自耕自給，偶爾也到垃圾桶里找些殘羹冷炙。他們還為當地農民打下手，好換得一些新鮮食物和紗線。

“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.”
“我們享受這種拋開金錢，自給自足的生活?！崩偾袪栒f，“我倆不必操心房租、機票、食物或華服到底要多少錢。事實上，現在的生活自由極了，我們能完全自主地安排自己的時間。”

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，蕾切爾與利亞姆搬進了新家，這可不是他們第一次過自給自足的生活了。此前，蕾切爾在加拿大的一個有機農場生活過兩年，利亞姆則曾赴北極旅行。夫妻倆都盡量使用當地土產品，不破壞生態環境。

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.
盡管有過自給自足的經驗，兩人依然表示，過去的一年困難重重。他們居住的地方土地貧瘠，種植糧食并非易事。當地氣候條件嚴苛，臨時居所時常風雨飄搖。這間2.5平米的小屋，僅僅是個簡陋的容身之處。兩人不得不搜集屋頂的冰冷雨水用于洗浴，上廁所還得與他人共用。家中沒有任何電器，夫妻倆只能在水槽中洗衣。

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.
雖然兩人沒有工作，蕾切爾與利亞姆卻也沒有多少休閑時間。他們大部分時候得幫當地的農民打打下手，比如種菜或采莓子，才能換得一頓吃的。他們飼養了5只鴨子，不時能吃上新鮮鴨蛋。不過，食物不夠了，他們就得到垃圾箱里找吃的，揀別人扔掉的蔬菜、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.
夫婦兩人雖苦心經營，但還是碰上了花錢的時候。今年早些時候，利亞姆去看牙醫，花掉了300美元，蕾切爾為了方便進城，也不得不買了輛新自行車。不過，這些錢大概是他們這一年里最大的開支了。

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.
還有幾個月，他們分文不花的生活就要滿一年了。夫妻倆尚未決定是否要回歸文明世界。自給自足并不容易，但他們或許打算繼續過下去。盡管困難重重，兩人似乎開心不已，與鄰居相處得也十分融洽?！袄弦惠吽坪鹾苤С治覀?，畢竟他們小時候就是這么過的。他們中有人年輕時還當過嬉皮士哩，”蕾切爾告訴《活出精彩！》（That’s Life!）雜志。她說，雖然丈夫和自己最終可能精疲力盡，但兩人都很滿意目前的生活。

Vocabulary

living off the land: 靠山吃山，靠水吃水
spring for: 為……付賬
live off the grid: 隱居
burn out: 精疲力盡

英文來源：odditycentral.com
譯者：郭汪韜略
審校&編輯：丹妮