In the summer of 2021, I squatted in a rented room in the city, eating steamed buns with pickled vegetables, drooling at the Maybach S480 parked downstairs — at that time, my bank card balance was just over 3000 yuan, and I didn't even have the courage to take a taxi to the 4S shop to look at cars.
Who would have thought that three years later I really drove this 'mobile palace' back to my hometown, and everything started from 'turning my daily breakfast budget of 15 yuan into digital coins.'
1. Starting Capital: From 'Steamed Bun Investment Method' to 'Coffin Fund' As a company employee earning 4500 yuan a month, I couldn't even be called 'principal,' I could only scrape together some.
Downgrade breakfast: I used to spend 15 yuan daily on buns and eggs, now I cook plain rice porridge with pickled vegetables myself, saving 400 yuan a month.
Side hustle: Part-time work at the milk tea shop on weekends, earning 20 yuan an hour, saving up 1200 yuan in three months.
Quit all socializing: When friends invite me out for meals, I say I’m working overtime. I didn't buy new clothes for half a year and managed to save a few thousand yuan as my 'coffin fund' — after all, if I lose it all, I’ll just eat fewer nice meals, and it won’t hurt.
On the day I downloaded the trading app, I stared blankly at several thousand yuan of principal: if this were back home, it would be enough to buy an electric bike, but now I was to exchange it for the invisible and intangible 'digital currency.' I gritted my teeth and bought Bitcoin and Ethereum, setting a rule for myself: 'Buy 200 yuan every Friday when I get paid, stick to it, and never give up halfway.'
2. Coin Selection Logic: Only cling to the 'big players,' don’t touch 'speculative coins.'
At first, I made foolish mistakes too.
I once followed the trend and bought 'Musk concept coins,' only to see them plummet 80% as soon as the Twitter hype stopped, nearly losing my milk tea shop salary.
I was deceived by 'hundredfold coin' ads into buying altcoins, only to find out the project team ran away with the money; that’s when I understood that '99% of coins in the crypto world are just air.'
Later, I got smarter and only focused on two types of coins.
Bitcoin: Digital gold, the first choice for survival. Treat it as a 'decentralized piggy bank.' Every time it drops to a round number (for example, 20,000 or 30,000), I buy an extra 500 yuan, just like stocking up rice when there's a sale. The more it falls, the happier I get — after all, I’m not selling; I just need to hold enough for one coin.
Ethereum: The foundation of blockchain. Watching DeFi and NFTs emerge like building blocks, I understood: this is not air; it’s 'digital bricks' that can build houses. While others chase new coins, I secretly exchange my pocket money for ETH, just like following the big shots; at least I won't starve.
3. Counterintuitive Operations: When others jump off the building, I pick up money; when others celebrate, I retreat.
The most thrilling thing about the crypto world is not the rises, but the falls.
In 2024, Bitcoin crashed by 40%, and someone in the group shouted 'See you on the rooftop,' but I dumped all my saved 618 shopping fund into it — after all, I could skip buying things, but if I missed out on cheap chips, it would be gone.
Every time there's a spike, I set 'automatic sell orders': sell 10% of the principal every time it rises by 10%, and continue to hold the rest — the money I earn is withdrawn first, I replaced the old air conditioner in my rented room, and the rest continues to buy coins.
I never touch leverage or play with contracts because I know deep down: 'Investing pocket money means if you lose, you just go back to gnawing on steamed buns; borrowing money to trade coins and losing it means you really have to sleep in a bridge hole.'
4. The moment of awakening: when numbers turn into car keys.
In the spring of 2025, I looked at my account balance and suddenly froze — that small account that once had a few thousand yuan somehow grew to 2 million. Just in time for the Maybach's price drop promotion, with a down payment of 300,000 I could drive it home. I nervously dialed the 4S shop's phone number.
On the day I picked up the car, the sales guy jokingly looked at my payment record and asked, 'What business are you in, sister?' I pointed to my phone and said, 'Just saving up for breakfast.' The moment I sat in the leather seat, I thought of myself four years ago, gnawing on steamed buns in a rental room; I remembered the nights I cried under the covers during market crashes and the hard work of every weekend spent working at the milk tea shop — it turned out that all 'impossibilities' start from 'let's give it a try.'
Three 'no crash' tips for ordinary people.
Only use 'money that won't hurt if lost': Test the waters with 10% of my monthly pocket money. For instance, if my monthly salary is 5000, I invest 500 yuan; if I lose it, it won’t affect my meals or sleep.
Stick to mainstream coins, stay away from 'fancy coins': Bitcoin and Ethereum are like 'staples' in the crypto world, there will always be demand; don't be fooled by 'hundredfold coin' ads.
Treat dollar-cost averaging as an 'electronic piggy bank': Set up automatic deductions, ignore price fluctuations, and stick with it for more than 3 years — time will help turn your steamed bun money into wheels.
Now, driving the Maybach back to my hometown, relatives surrounded the car in astonishment, and I always say: 'If I hadn’t dared to start back then because of fear, I would still be gnawing on steamed buns in a rented room.'
The crypto world is not a casino but a 'digital comeback channel' for ordinary people. The key is not to be greedy, not to follow the crowd, and treat every bit of pocket money as 'bricks for dreams.'
If you are also eyeing a luxury car or a dream lifestyle, why not start from tomorrow: turn the money spent on milk tea, gaming, and casual spending into digital coins.
Who knows, one day you might also find yourself, holding the car keys, sighing: all those 'fantastical tales' began with a brave 'let's just try it.'
