A British family who swapped a cramped cottage in the West Midlands for a self-sufficient life in rural Spain claim they have trebled their savings and would never willingly return to the UK.
From Financial Struggle to Sun-Drenched Freedom
Georgia Kitson and her partner Jack moved from their tiny UK home to a sprawling 36-acre olive farm in northern Spain in 2018. Back in Britain, they were trapped in a cycle of misery, struggling to pay rent and utility bills, and enduring arctic winters with only a plug-in radiator for warmth.
"We were thinking, is this it? Are we stuck in this rat race for the rest of our lives?" Georgia told the Daily Mail. With a newborn baby, the self-employed couple felt "really trapped" and disheartened by their inability to get ahead financially.
The Off-Grid Transformation
Their escape route came after an inheritance from Jack's grandmother. Combined with help from Georgia's parents, they purchased an £80,000 home on the Spanish farm. They fully embraced an off-grid lifestyle, using solar panels for electricity, harvesting rainwater, and burning wood scraps for heat.
This dramatic shift slashed their living costs. "We don’t need to work as hard because the outgoings are so low," Georgia explained. "We’re mortgage-free and our bills are low."
A £200,000 Beach-Side Dream
Their success allowed them to upgrade significantly. At the end of 2024, they sold their farm property for three times the original price. They reinvested the money into a £200,000 beach-side property in Tarragona, which they are now renovating.
The new home boasts a swimming pool, solar panels, a vegetable patch, and its own well. Georgia, now a self-employed virtual assistant and coach, runs an online platform called Off Grid Only with Jack, advertising similar properties and offering coaching on the lifestyle.
The family's quality of life has been utterly transformed. Their children attend local school and spend afternoons at the beach. "The quality of life is beautiful," Georgia said. "The cost of living is way cheaper; you can live off a very small amount of money."
When asked about returning to Britain, she was unequivocal: "I would never move back to the UK out of choice. It would be a worst-case scenario."
