Getting Started with Bitcoin
No hype. No jargon. Just what you need to know.
What Is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is digital money that no one controls.
• No government can print more of it (capped at 21 million)
• No bank can freeze your account
• No company can shut it down
• Anyone in the world can send it to anyone else, instantly
It runs on a global network of computers that verify every transaction. This network has been running since 2009 without a single minute of downtime.
Think of it as digital gold — scarce, portable, divisible, and impossible to counterfeit. But unlike gold, you can send it across the world in minutes.
Step 1: Get a Wallet
A wallet is how you store and send Bitcoin. Not your keys, not your coins.
For daily spending (phone wallet):
• Phoenix — simple Lightning wallet, great for payments (recommended by werunbtc.com)
• Muun — easy on-chain + Lightning
• BlueWallet — flexible, supports both layers
For long-term savings (hardware wallet):
• Coldcard — gold standard, air-gapped, Bitcoin-only (setup guide)
• Seedplate — steel backup for your seed phrase (fireproof, waterproof)
• BitBox02 — Swiss-made, beginner-friendly
Rule of thumb: Phone wallet for spending amounts (like a physical wallet). Hardware wallet for savings (like a vault).
We sell hardware wallets in our webshop.
Step 2: Buy Bitcoin
In Norway:
• Bare Bitcoin — Norwegian Bitcoin-only exchange, BankID verification, NOK deposits
• Bitmynt — Norwegian, privacy-focused
International:
• River — US-based, auto-buy, great education
• Relai — Swiss, no KYC for small amounts
• Strike — easy Lightning purchases
Peer-to-peer (no middleman):
• Bisq — decentralized exchange
• Peach Bitcoin — mobile P2P trading
• HodlHodl — non-custodial P2P
Important: After buying, withdraw to your own wallet. Never leave coins on an exchange. "Not your keys, not your coins."
Step 3: Secure Your Bitcoin
Your seed phrase (12 or 24 words) IS your Bitcoin.
Whoever has those words has your money.
• Write it on paper or stamp it on steel (Seedplate)
• Never type it on a computer or phone
• Never take a photo of it
• Never store it in a cloud service
• Keep it in a secure location (safe, safety deposit box)
• Consider keeping copies in different physical locations
Passphrase (optional but recommended):
Add a passphrase (also called the 25th word) to your seed. Even if someone finds your seed words, they can't access your Bitcoin without the passphrase.
For larger amounts:
Consider multisig (multiple keys needed to spend). Tools like Nunchuk or Sparrow Wallet make this accessible.
Step 4: Use Bitcoin
Lightning Network — instant, cheap payments:
• Pay at shops that accept Lightning (growing fast in Norway)
• Tip content creators on Nostr (zaps)
• Buy gift cards via Bitrefill for any store
• Pay for software on cyberhive.no ⚡
On-chain — for larger transactions:
• Sending savings to cold storage
• Larger purchases
• International transfers
Learn about transaction fees and UTXOs:
werunbtc.com/utxos — essential reading for managing your Bitcoin efficiently.
Run Your Own Node
Running a Bitcoin node means you verify your own transactions — you don't trust anyone else's copy of the blockchain.
• Bitcoin Core guide — run it on any computer
• Start9 — plug-and-play node
• MyNode — Raspberry Pi node
• Umbrel — beautiful UI, easy setup
A node costs nothing to run (an old laptop works) and it's the only way to truly verify that your Bitcoin is real.
Recommended Learning Path
Start here:
• The Bitcoin Whitepaper — 9 pages that started it all
• werunbtc.com — practical guides by Matt Odell
Books (in order):
• "The Bitcoin Standard" by Saifedean Ammous — understand the economics
• "The Bullish Case for Bitcoin" by Vijay Boyapati — concise investment thesis
• "Check Your Financial Privilege" by Alex Gladstein — the human rights case
Podcasts:
• Bitcoinsnakk (Norwegian) — local perspective
• What Is Money Show — deep economic philosophy
• Citadel Dispatch — freedom tech and privacy
Norwegian resources:
• Timechain.no — Norwegian Bitcoin magazine
• Human Rights Foundation — Bitcoin and financial freedom
See our full Learn More page for the complete resource library.