$400 a month. That's what I was spending on AI coding tools.
Claude Max: $200. Cursor Pro: $20. ChatGPT Plus: $20. Codex (via API): ~$150. GitHub Copilot: $10.
And I was still hitting rate limits constantly.
The Realization
I wasn't spending too much. I was spending blindly.
I had no idea which tool I used most. No idea when my limits reset. No idea that I was burning through expensive Opus tokens on tasks that Sonnet could handle.
What Changed Everything
I installed TokenBar on my Mac. It's a menu bar app that shows usage limits, credits, and reset timers for all my AI providers in one place.
Within the first week, I discovered:
- I was hitting my Claude limit every Tuesday (heavy coding day)
- My Cursor usage was 30% of what I was paying for
- I had $80 in unused OpenRouter credits
- My Codex API spend was 70% on one project that could've used a cheaper model
The Strategy
Once I could see my usage patterns, I built a strategy:
| Task | Provider | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture decisions | Claude (Opus) | Best reasoning |
| Boilerplate generation | Cursor (Sonnet) | Fast, cheap |
| Code review | Codex | Great at diffs |
| Quick questions | Gemini Flash | Free tier |
| Documentation | ChatGPT | Saves Claude tokens |
The Results
After one month:
- Dropped ChatGPT Plus — Gemini free tier covers casual questions
- Reduced Codex API spend by 60% — switched simple tasks to cheaper models
- Stopped hitting Claude limits — wasn't wasting tokens on wrong tasks
- New monthly spend: $250 — saved $150/month while getting MORE done
The $4.99 I spent on TokenBar has paid for itself hundreds of times over. It tracks Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex, Copilot, Gemini, OpenRouter, Warp, JetBrains AI, and 15+ more providers.
Stop flying blind. tokenbar.site
What's your monthly AI tool spend? Drop a comment.
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