I used to treat AI spend like a normal monthly bill. That was the mistake.
A normal bill is something you notice after the damage is done. With AI tools, the expensive part is usually the moment you stop paying attention.
What actually drove my costs up:
- Leaving expensive models on for work that did not need them
- Re-running prompts instead of fixing the prompt once
- Using AI while distracted, then paying for both the extra tokens and the lost focus
The fix was not “be more disciplined.” It was making the cost visible in real time.
That is why I built TokenBar. I wanted a tiny menu bar app that shows token usage before the bill shows up later.
The point is not to shame yourself for using AI. The point is to stop guessing.
If you work with LLMs every day, visibility changes behavior fast. You start noticing when a task is cheap, when it is getting messy, and when you should switch gears.
I think most AI spend problems are really attention problems.
If you want the tool: tokenbar.site
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