A British family-of-six moved to Bulgaria and now save £22k-a-year on their household bills.
Amy Smerdon, 35, and her husband, Jerry, 53, had always dreamed of living off grid and were fed up of renting but realised they couldn’t afford a mortgage in the UK.
The couple – who have a two sons, aged eight and six, and twin boys, aged five – heard about cheap property in Bulgaria and bought a three-bedroom home for £7k in 2024 to do up as a holiday home.
After Amy got some inheritance money when her grandad passed away, the family decided to move out permanently and bought the plot, with a warehouse, near the town of Popovo.
Jerry, who runs a vape shop and ice cream parlour in the UK, converted the warehouse into a liveable home at the beginning of this year.
Amy and their kids – and her eldest son, eight, from a previous relationship – moved out from Wincanton, Somerset in March 2025.
Now they are renovating the home with a £10k budget and feel ‘free’ – and say they’re able to save £1,801 a month.
Amy, a stay-at-home mum, said: ‘We’ve regained control of our life.
Amy Smerdon, 35, and her husband, Jerry, 53, who have a two son’s, aged eight and six, and twin boys, aged five – heard about cheap property in Bulgaria and bought a three-bedroom home for £7k
Amy began looking at properties in Bulgaria and when her grandad left her inheritance they were able to buy their current home in December 2024
Now they are renovating the home with a £10k budget and feel ‘free’ – and say they’re able to save £1,801 a month
‘We’re actually a family – not just surviving.’
Jerry, who has four older son’s from previous relationships, said: ‘A big part of this was to give this freedom.
‘I’ve been let down by own country. We couldn’t get any help with paying council tax – and then you get a bailiff turning up at the door.
‘We’ve got two homes – done in six to eight months together.
‘We were struggling to survive in the UK.’
Amy had originally looked into living off grid – and converting a shipping container into a home – but found the costs of this would still be high in the UK.
She said: ‘With the age gap – I’m never going to be able to get a mortgage as I don’t have very good credit.
‘Jerry is older – he’d never be able to get one because of his age.
Amy and their kids – and her eldest son, eight, from a previous relationship – moved out from Wincanton, Somerset in March 2025
The family had visited Bulgaria on holiday several times and thought it was a ‘lovely’ country. Pictured: The house in Bulgaria
After seeing others buying properties abroad, Amy and Jerry started looking at what was available and took the leap on a doer-upper property in Bulgaria
Jerry, who runs a vape shop and ice cream parlour in the UK, converted the warehouse into a liveable home at the beginning of this year. Pictured: The warehouse in Bulgaria
The family live mortgage-free and have a £10k budget to renovate their home – which they hope to be in by the end of the year. Pictured: The warehouse in Bulgaria
‘We didn’t want to rent somewhere for the rest of our lives. You can’t paint that wall, or put something up on one wall.’
The family had visited Bulgaria on holiday several times and thought it was a ‘lovely’ country.
After seeing others buying properties abroad, Amy and Jerry started looking at what was available and took the leap on a doer-upper property in Bulgaria.
Amy said: ‘It was always meant to be a holiday home. It was £7k – the price of what you’d pay for a holiday.
‘Then we had no intention of emigrating.’
But as the family started reflecting more on their life in the UK they looked into how easy moving out might be.
Amy was frustrated by the state of the UK, the judgement on parenting and the cost of living and property prices.
She said: ‘We weren’t living. We were surviving.
Amy was frustrated by the state of the UK, the judgement on parenting and the cost of living and property prices. Pictured: The family’s UK house
Amy says the cost of living is also much cheaper – she used to pay £1,300 in rent a month and her bills cost £670 in Britain. Pictured: The house in the UK
Amy loves that her kids can be ‘free’ and play outside. Pictured: Amy and Jerry’s sons
‘I just feel the UK had become this rat race.
‘It was like Groundhog Day for me.’
Amy loves that her kids can be ‘free’ and play outside in their new home country.
She said: ‘In the UK we see eight-year-olds walking around with iPhones.
‘We wanted to escape all of that.
‘Here they can scream and shout.
Amy says it’s not been ‘easy’ and they still don’t feel ‘settled’ in Bulgaria but have no regrets over their move. Pictured: Amy and Jerry with their sons
The family are in the process of renovating their new home in Bulgaria after moving to the country in March, 2025. Pictured: The house in Bulgaria
‘They can do whatever without someone twitching at the window or knocking and asking for the kids to be quiet.
‘That’s really important for me.’
Amy says the cost of living is also much cheaper – she used to pay £1,300 in rent a month and her bills cost £670 in Britain.
Now their bills only cost £198.50 a month.
Amy says it’s not been ‘easy’ and they still don’t feel ‘settled’ in Bulgaria but have no regrets over their move.
Amy said: ‘It’s been our saviour.
‘Everything is so simple and relaxed.
‘It’s like going back in time.
‘There is no limit – if you want to do something you’re able to achieve anything you want. No one can tell you that you can’t.’
