Student Question:
Hello, Master. I have this habit of deal-hunting — tracking Meituan food coupons, entering giveaways, redeeming credit card points, that sort of thing. I enjoy it endlessly, and scoring something genuinely makes me happy. But my monthly income is already in the tens of thousands. If I spent that same time on work — finding one more client or better serving existing ones — I could easily earn a few thousand more, which far outweighs the few dozen or few hundred yuan I get from deal-hunting.
My time and energy could clearly go toward something more valuable, yet I can’t stop myself. What causes this, and how should I adjust?
Master Chi’s Response:
First, let me be clear: many people share this exact psychological habit.
I know someone — a regional store director at a major foreign enterprise. Ten years ago, his annual income was already 400,000 yuan. And yet his biggest daily hobby was browsing travel websites and airline pages hunting for discounted tickets. The moment he found one, he’d buy it — no matter the destination, he’d just go. Completely absorbed, endlessly entertained. The problem? He never bought property. He traveled the country and saw beautiful landscapes everywhere. Then the pandemic hit, and he was laid off.
Second, here’s my advice: since you love deal-hunting and you’re good at it, consider building deal-hunting communities online and becoming a group leader yourself — an organizer and admin who brings real value to the bargain-chasers and earns money from upstream suppliers.
For example, in our community platform there are several people who work specifically in the credit card points redemption space. They earn around 100,000+ yuan a year doing this. Some place sponsored ads alongside their redemption content. One person has been posting about redeeming credit card points for health checkup packages at a major medical chain — after barely a month and a half, they’d already made tens of thousands. Others teach people how to maximize their cards: using points for hotel stays, flights, and so on.
You can also build these deal-hunting communities and post red packets in your articles to gain followers and help grow other accounts. That’s the public account model — and it generates advertising revenue that adds up to a solid annual sum.
So when it comes to deal-hunting: if you can’t stop yourself, don’t try to suppress it. Use this passion and skill instead.
The fact that your monthly income reaches tens of thousands already shows you’re highly capable. You can build this into a real business — be a producer and organizer, not just a consumer. Tell yourself: lots of people are like this, and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Don’t put too much psychological pressure on yourself. And at the same time, recognize that precisely because so many people share this mindset — and because you understand them and are skilled at this — you’re perfectly positioned to be the organizer. Provide them value. Improve their deal-hunting efficiency. And get paid for it.
Something to consider.