Sharing my actual mistakes so you can skip them.
Mistake 1: Using Sonnet for File Reads
Paying $0.015/1K tokens to read a config file. DeepSeek does this for $0.0014. Identical output.
Mistake 2: Long Sessions
By message 30, every prompt carries 80K+ tokens of history. I was paying for context I did not need. Now I start fresh sessions aggressively.
Mistake 3: Not Tracking Per-Task Costs
Had no idea where my money went until I logged every API call for a month. 60% was routine tasks at premium prices.
Mistake 4: Manual Model Switching
Tried switching models manually for a week. The cognitive load of deciding per-prompt was worse than the cost savings. Automated it.
Mistake 5: Single Provider
All eggs in one basket. When Claude went down, everything stopped.
The One Fix
Auto-routing by task type. Cheap model for the 60%, premium for the 40%. TeamoRouter handles this. Free tier available.
Result: $240/mo → $140/mo.
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