I ditched the UK & bought a house for the same price as a summer holiday – my bills are 3x less & have saved £20k a year

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FLIGHT RISK I ditched the UK & bought a house for the same price as a summer holiday – my bills are 3x less & have saved £20k a year
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A BRITISH family-of-six has made a drastic move to Bulgaria, where they are now saving a whopping £22,000 a year on household bills.
Fed up with the UK's rising costs and a rental market that left them feeling trapped, Amy Smerdon, 35, and her husband, Jerry, 53, decided to pursue their dream of owning a home.
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Amy Smerdon, 35, and her husband, Jerry, 53.
Credit: SWNS
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The family-of-six 'escaped' the UK and bought a house in Bulgaria to be mortgage-free
Credit: SWNS
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Amy Smerdon, 35, and her husband, Jerry, 53, had always dreamed of living off grid
Credit: SWNS
After realising a mortgage was out of reach in Britain due to age and credit history, they found their solution in Bulgaria, where property prices are significantly lower.
The couple - who have two sons aged eight and six, and twin boys aged five - initially bought a three-bedroom home for just £7,000 in 2024 to use as a holiday home.
After Amy received some inheritance money when her grandad passed away, the family decided to move permanently.
They bought a plot with a warehouse near the town of Popovo, and Jerry, who runs a vape shop and ice cream parlour in the UK, converted it into a liveable home at the beginning of this year.
Amy and the children - including her eldest son, eight, from a previous relationship - moved from Wincanton, Somerset, in March 2025.
Now, they are renovating the home with a £10,000 budget and feel "free," claiming they are able to save £1,801 a month.
"We've regained control of our life," said Amy, a stay-at-home mum.
"We're actually a family - not just surviving."
Jerry, who has four older sons from previous relationships, shared a similar view.
I saved $60k to buy my 'dream' home in less than 5 months - I slept in my car and spent just $2 each day
"A big part of this was to give this freedom," he said. "I've been let down by my own country. We were struggling to survive in the UK."
Amy had originally considered converting a shipping container into a home to live off-grid, but found the costs were still too high in the UK.
She explained their situation: "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.
In the UK we see eight-year-olds walking around with iPhones
Amy Smerdon
"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.
"It was always meant to be a holiday home," Amy said.
"It was £7k - the price of what you'd pay for a holiday. Then we had no intention of emigrating."
However, as the family started to reflect on their life in the UK, they began to explore how easy a move might be.
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They realised a mortgage was out of reach in Britain due to age and credit history
Credit: SWNS
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Amy loves that her children can be "free" and play outside in their new home country
Credit: SWNS
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Now, their bills are only £198.50 a month
Credit: SWNS
Amy was frustrated by the state of the UK, the judgment on parenting, and the rising cost of living and property prices. "We weren't living.
We were surviving," she said. "I just feel the UK had become this rat race. It was like Groundhog Day for me."
Amy loves that her children can be "free" and play outside in their new home country.
"In the UK we see eight-year-olds walking around with iPhones," she said.
Everything is so simple and relaxed. It's like going back in time
Amy Smerdon
"We wanted to escape all of that. Here they can scream and shout.
"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 are only £198.50 a month.
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Amy says the cost of living is also much cheaper
Credit: SWNS
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Amy admits it hasn't been "easy" and they still don't feel "settled"
Credit: SWNS
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Amy used to pay £1,300 in rent a month, and her bills cost £670 in Britain
Credit: SWNS
Amy admits it hasn't been "easy" and they still don't feel "settled," but they have no regrets. "It's been our saviour," she said.
"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."