Paying storage fees with tokens sounds straightforward, but there are many pitfalls hidden within.

Many people, when planning for 5 or 10 years of data storage, habitually estimate costs using the current token price. The problem is—this kind of estimate completely ignores the volatility of token prices. Suppose a project's token appreciates 10 times over the next few years; then the fiat cost for renewal will skyrocket. Even if the governance mechanism aims to dynamically adjust the fee rate, there is usually a time lag, making the response less timely.

Conversely, if the token price crashes, node operators' profits decline, and network stability comes into question. If you hold fiat currency now, waiting for the renewal date, you face uncertainty in purchasing power—either the token rises and costs surge, or the token falls and the network may become unstable. It's a dilemma.

My approach is to establish a "storage reserve fund." In the early stages of a project, based on the storage lifecycle length, directly purchase and stake enough project tokens. The key is—to use the yield generated from staking to gradually cover future storage rent. This creates an internal cycle of "self-produced and self-sold": the reserve fund itself and the income it generates jointly bear the cost, effectively locking in storage costs and isolating them from token price fluctuations.

In the highly volatile crypto market, this is the most practical way to maintain stable long-term infrastructure costs.