Give yourself an honest answer
At the end of the trial, put the receipts and notes beside the photographs. Which normal days felt good? What kept causing trouble? Ask the other people moving with you separately before deciding together. You may be ready to stay, want to try another town or decide to head home. All three answers can be sensible.
Decide what would have to change for a longer stay to work. Perhaps it is a different neighbourhood, a better income buffer or more time before moving children between schools. Give those items a date and a real price.
You do not need to declare the trip a success to learn from it. Staying, moving to another place and returning home can all be sensible outcomes when they fit what the test actually showed.
Choose the next step, not a verdict on yourself
It is easy to keep going because you told friends you were moving, or to leave because one week went badly. Give the decision a night after you have put the numbers and notes together. If you stay, choose the next practical commitment and its review date. If you leave, write down what the trial taught you about the kind of place that might fit better.
Before moving on, ask yourself
- Which three parts of daily life worked without much effort?
- Which problem would still be there six months from now?
- What is the smallest sensible next commitment: another month, a lease, a different town or a return?