- Didi Taihuttu, 39, is a father of three, living in the Netherlands.
- He sold everything he owned, including his house and his childrens’ toys, to invest the money in bitcoin.
- Now, the family lives on a campsite, waiting for the ultimate cryptoboom.
- When people say he’s crazy, he tells them that his family is adventurous, and they’re willing to take the gamble.
Not long ago, Didi Taihuttu, 39, lived with his wife and three children in a beautiful house in Venlo, The Netherlands.
The house had two bathrooms, a spacious living room, conservatory and veranda. Joli, 12, Juna, 10, and Jessa, 7, each had their own room and could play in the spacious garden.
Now the Taihuttus wake up on a campsite every morning. Their home has been sold, as well as the three cars, a motorbike, electric bikes, and even the children’s toys.
The three daughters now sleep together in the same room.
“Every layman will say you’re crazy,” Taihuttu recently told Business Insider. “But we are an adventurous family and are going to gamble for a moment to live minimalist lives. If you never take a risk, life is boring. “
He invests everything in bitcoin
Taihuttu invests the proceeds from the house and the rest of their possessions in bitcoin, the electronic money designed in 2009 by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto. Currently, a bitcoin is worth more than 5,700 dollars and hundreds of other crypto coins have been created.
Taihuttu has been invested in bitcoin since 2010. He believes that the currency and the underlying blockchain technology will revolutionize the monetary system.
"The cryptocurrency's never going to go away. In five years, everyone will say: 'We could have seen it coming,'" said Taihuttu. "I am responding to this change now. I do not think we are taking a risk. "
Taihuttu plans to bet everything on crypto coins until 2020, at which point he hopes bitcoin and blockchain will be irreplaceable and his wealth will be worth three to four times as much.
In the meantime, the family lives with fewer things. Taihuttu had to do quite some talking to convince his wife of his bold plan. "We were used to luxury and had to give that up."
In the end, she said yes, because they believe the minimalist way of life is best for the children. "That was ultimately the decisive factor for my wife to say yes to this plan," says Taihuttu. "If you raise your kids to be too materialistic, it is not good. And that was what we were doing, to be honest."
Traveling the world for nine months
During the nine-month world trip he made with the family, Taihuttu saw how little some children in impoverished areas of Asia have. "In some countries they play with a tire and a stick. That opens your eyes."
With that in mind, Taihuttu finds that they do not give up much at all by living on a campsite with little stuff. "We make sure we have a nice life and can spend a lot of time together as a family."
In early October, the Taihuttus met Argentinians Candelaria and Herman Zapp. The Zapps have traveled the world for 17 years and had four children in the meantime. They happened to be in the Netherlands, and Taihuttu contacted them. "We wanted to chat about each other's travel," he says. On Instagram, he called the meeting "a dream come true.”
The Taihuttus may also travel again. "Until 2020, we devote our lives to the crypto coins," says Taihuttu. "We’ll live on a campsite in the Netherlands or maybe travel to Bali and live there for a year or two. We’ll see.'
And if it fails? "Then we'll be without money. But I do not think that's the worst thing that can happen in life."
