Over the past year, I embarked on an experiment: buying $5 worth of cryptocurrency every single day. My goal wasn’t to get rich quickly, but to better understand the world of crypto and see how consistent, small investments would play out over time. By the end of the year, I’d purchased 365 different cryptocurrencies. Here’s what I learned on this wild journey.
The Plan: $5 a Day, 365 Cryptos
The idea behind my experiment was simple: invest $5 daily in a different cryptocurrency. The goal was to spread my risk across multiple coins, hoping that diversification would shield me from massive losses. It seemed like an easy, low-cost way to learn about crypto without going all-in. Little did I know, the reality of the crypto market was far more complicated than I imagined.
Crypto Prices Are Wildly Unpredictable
One of the first things I noticed was the extreme volatility of crypto prices. On some days, the coins I purchased would shoot up 15% or more in a matter of hours. On other days, they would plummet by similar amounts—or worse, crash overnight. The constant price swings were much bigger than I expected, and I quickly found myself checking my portfolio multiple times a day. Even with 365 different coins, my portfolio was anything but stable. It was a rollercoaster ride—one moment up, the next moment down.
Diversification Doesn’t Always Protect You
At the start, I believed that spreading my investments across 365 coins would help minimize risks. After all, if one coin failed, others might perform well and balance things out. However, I quickly realized that when the entire market takes a hit, nearly every coin drops together. Even though each cryptocurrency has its unique features, the market as a whole tends to move in unison. So, while some coins did perform well, they were rarely enough to offset the massive losses from others. Diversification helped a little, but it didn’t shield me from the overall market’s downturns.
Timing Matters More Than You Think
My strategy was simple: buy $5 worth of crypto every day at the same time. While this made it easy to stick to the plan, it often led to purchasing coins at less-than-ideal prices. Some days, I got lucky and bought coins right before their value increased. But other times, my purchase would drop in value almost immediately. This taught me a hard lesson—timing is everything in crypto. If I had done more research or paid attention to market trends, I could have made smarter decisions and avoided some losses. Consistency was easy, but it didn’t guarantee the best returns.
Gaining a Deep Knowledge of Cryptocurrencies
One unexpected benefit of my experiment was the amount of knowledge I gained about various cryptocurrencies. Each day, I spent time researching the coin I was about to buy. I learned about the technology behind the coins, the teams behind them, and their long-term goals. Some projects seemed innovative with real-world potential, while others appeared highly speculative. This knowledge helped me understand which coins might be worth keeping an eye on for the future. Even though I didn’t always make profitable choices, the insights I gained were priceless.
The Emotional Rollercoaster of Crypto
What I didn’t expect was how emotionally taxing this experiment would be. Watching my portfolio rise and fall every day was both thrilling and stressful. When my coins increased in value, I felt like a genius. But on days when prices dropped, I felt frustrated or even disappointed. This rollercoaster taught me a crucial lesson: emotions play a huge role in crypto investing. It’s easy to let short-term price movements influence your decisions, but that’s when you make impulsive choices that can lead to losses. The key to surviving in crypto is learning how to stay calm and stick to your plan.
What’s Next?
After a full year of buying $5 worth of cryptocurrency every day, I’ve learned some important lessons about the market. In the next part of this series, I’ll break down the specific coins I invested in, share the overall performance of my portfolio, and talk about what my next steps will be.
For now, one thing is clear: the crypto market is much more unpredictable than I ever expected. Diversification helps, but it doesn’t eliminate risk. Timing is crucial, and understanding the coins you invest in is just as important as knowing when to buy. Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll dive deeper into my results and reveal what’s next in my crypto journey.
Crypto investing isn’t easy, but with the right mindset and strategy, it’s possible to navigate the wild world of digital assets. Keep learning, stay patient, and most importantly—stay calm.