This is the sequel to our guide «TON for Beginners: First 30 Days», which has solid engagement (avg 90+ seconds on page, bounce 25%). After month one you should have a working wallet, a basic TON/Gram balance, experience sending/receiving, and an understanding of the key terms.
This month is about depth: real DeFi operations, NFT experiments, and long-term security.
2026 context: since June 1, 2026 the network’s native coin is Gram (formerly Toncoin). See the main rebrand explainer. In this piece “TON,” “GRAM,” “Gram” are synonyms for the native coin.
Day 31-35: first staking
Goal: learn liquid staking on 5-10 Gram (~$25-50).
Steps
- Open Tonkeeper or MyTonWallet
- Settings → Browse Apps → “Tonstakers” (or open app.tonstakers.com)
- Connect wallet via TON Connect
- “Stake” → enter amount (e.g. 5 GRAM)
- Confirm the transaction
- You receive tsTON back (about 5 tsTON, ~1:1 conversion rate)
- tsTON grows in conversion rate over time (~3.5% APR)
What you learn
- How TON Connect works — transaction confirmation in the wallet
- What derivative tokens are — tsTON is your stake + future rewards
- Liquid staking gives extra utility — you can use tsTON in DeFi
Alternatives: bemo (bemoTON), Hipo (hTON), Whales Pool (pooled nominators). Detailed comparison in our staking piece.
Day 36-40: first DEX swap
Goal: swap 1 Gram for USDT-TON via STON.fi.
Steps
- Open app.ston.fi
- Connect via TON Connect
- From: TON (Gram) → To: USDT
- Enter 1 Gram, you’ll see ~$4.80 USDT (depends on rate and slippage)
- Confirm transaction in the wallet
- In 5-10 seconds USDT-TON appears in your balance
What you learn
- What DEX vs CEX is — swap happens in a smart contract, no intermediary
- Slippage — the gap between expected and actual price
- LP fee — 0.3% goes to liquidity providers
After the swap you hold USDT-TON, usable for stable storage (protection from Gram volatility) or lending (EVAA).
Day 41-45: first NFT operation
Goal: upgrade a Telegram gift and sell on Fragment.
Steps
- Buy an ordinary Telegram gift ($5-10) — via @ShopBot in TG, or from friends
- In Telegram → Gifts section → pick a gift → “Upgrade to collectible”
- Pay
0.5 Gram ($2.50) — Fragment mints a TEP-62 NFT to your address - Open Tonkeeper → your NFT appears in “Collectibles”
- Open fragment.com → “Sell” → list at floor +20% (e.g. floor $15 → list at $18)
- Within hours / days — a sale
What you learn
- What an NFT on TON is — TEP-62 standard
- How Fragment marketplace works
- Reality: floor can swing ±50% in a week
More in our Telegram Gifts piece.
Day 46-50: backup and multi-sig (premium)
Goal: if your wallet now holds >$500 — set up backup.
Minimal backup (for $500-5000)
- Seed phrase written on paper → verify 2 different copies exist
- One backup at home, second at parent’s / friend’s / safe deposit
- Test recovery once: uninstall Tonkeeper → reinstall → restore from seed → should see the same balance
Hardware backup (for $5,000+)
- Buy Ledger Nano S Plus ($79) or Nano X ($149)
- Setup Ledger via Ledger Live (24-word Ledger seed — different from Tonkeeper’s!)
- Install the TON app on Ledger via Manager
- Connect Ledger to Tonkeeper: Settings → Add wallet → Hardware → Ledger
- Move crypto from the software wallet to the Ledger-derived address
More in our recovery guide.
Day 51-55: lending (optional, advanced)
Goal: deposit TON/Gram into EVAA, earn interest.
Steps
- Open evaa.finance
- Connect Tonkeeper
- “Supply” → choose Gram → enter 5-10 GRAM
- Receive ~3-5% APR in Gram
- Optional: borrow USDT-TON against the Gram collateral (if you need stable for transactions)
Risks
- Smart-contract bug — EVAA is audited but residual risk always exists in DeFi
- Liquidation — if you borrow, monitor the collateral ratio. If Gram drops below the threshold, your collateral is auto-liquidated
- Impermanent loss — does NOT apply to money-market lending, only LP pools
Day 56-60: first Mini App purchase / experiment
Goal: try utility applications of TON inside Telegram.
Options:
A. Catizen (gaming)
A Telegram game where you earn cat NFTs and Gram rewards. Free start, optional in-app purchases.
B. Notcoin legacy
Notcoin token (NOT) — a TON jetton. You can buy $5-10 on STON.fi and hold as speculative.
C. Stars purchase
Buy Telegram Stars via Wallet by Telegram ($0.99 = 100 Stars), use to tip in Telegram channels or buy premium stickers.
D. Crypto Bot tips
Tip a non-crypto friend via @CryptoBot — teach them to receive TON.
What you should have by day 60
- ✅ Wallet with backup (Tonkeeper/MyTonWallet + Ledger optional)
- ✅ Active stake (Tonstakers/bemo, 5+ Gram)
- ✅ DeFi experience (1+ swap on STON.fi)
- ✅ Optional: 1+ NFT (Telegram gift upgrade)
- ✅ USDT-TON in wallet for stability
- ✅ Understanding of main risks (drainers, phishing, smart-contract bugs)
- ✅ Knowledge of where the money is: liquid staking, DeFi, gift trading
What NOT to do during day 31-60
❌ Don’t max-buy at peak — diversify entry ❌ Don’t approve every dApp — read transaction payload ❌ Don’t take leveraged positions on perpetuals (Storm Trade, etc.) — it’s a product for professionals ❌ Don’t buy meme jettons under FOMO — 95% go to zero ❌ Don’t use “guaranteed yield” services — either a scam or unsustainable
What comes next
After 60 days you should be a competent TON user. Next milestones:
- Day 61-90: explore pillar articles on topics of interest
- Day 91-180: participate in community grants if you want to contribute
- Day 180-365: rebalance portfolio, consider a larger stake, optional — multi-sig for security
See our first-year-in-TON guide.
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