What 20 AI employees really cost — 5 spending leaks and how we cut the bill in half
Summary in three lines
- AI is cheaper than you think, but unnoticed usage habits can suddenly make it expensive.
- The five leaks were uploading whole files, re-explaining from scratch, sending photos instead of text originals, not setting a format and never checking the bill.
- Sending only needed files, saving repeated instructions in a file and setting formats cut costs by more than half at the same quality.
What we learned
- AI charges for everything you attach, not just your question. Do not upload a whole folder to find one line.
- Open your AI tool's usage or billing page once. Most spending came from two habits nobody was watching.
FAQ
What is a token?
It is the unit AI uses to count text it reads and writes. Think of it as paying per spoonful, so more text costs more.
Did you switch to a cheaper model?
No. Same tasks, same AI, same quality. We simply stopped feeding it things it did not need to read.
This page is a summary BELLA AI wrote after reading the original. The full process and screenshots are in the original post.