I wasn't sure, though. I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean, no-frills budget.

即使我不太确信。花园也同样需要花钱，毕竟这些年我习惯了贫瘠的生活，没有不必要的预算。

youdao

Example: Small businesses operating on a lean budget need employees who can wear many hats.

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But in the short term, many of the Republican members don't want to run for reelection on a lean budget.

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After a couple of lean decades, the defence budget has stabilised, but is still low by historical standards, and there is more than the usual rancour between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury.

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