I thought AI was cheap until I saw my real usage

I kept hearing that AI APIs are cheap.

So I didn’t really track anything. Just built, tested, ran scripts, whatever.

Then I checked my usage and realized I had burned through about $20 in a single day without noticing.

Not because the pricing is high. Just because it is easy to lose track.

background jobs still running
retrying prompts over and over
switching between providers
no single place showing total cost

The real problem is there is no live feedback loop.

You only notice after the money is already gone.

I started using a simple menu bar tool that shows everything in real time:

token usage
cost per session
daily total across providers

Now if something spikes, I see it instantly and stop it.

That alone cut a big chunk of waste.

This is what I’m using:
https://tokenbar.site

If you are building with AI every day and not tracking spend live, you are probably overspending without realizing it.

How are you keeping track of your usage right now?