# Free: see where your Claude Code token spend goes + the tactics that cut it > Source: > Published: 2026-06-04 07:25:39+00:00 Post this publicly (GitHub gist / repo README / Reddit / Show HN). It's the runnable, free-to-try hook that makes Show HN and Reddit value-first posts legitimate. The full kit (18 tactics + drop-in configs + rules + scripts) is the paid upgrade. **Route the model to the task.** Haiku for mechanical edits/scaffolding, Sonnet for daily feature work, Opus only for genuinely hard reasoning. Pinning everything to the top model is the most expensive default there is.Every turn re-sends the whole conversation as input tokens; don't pay to drag a finished task into the next one.`/clear` between unrelated tasks.**Stop re-reading files you just edited.** The edit already confirmed success — re-reading to "verify" doubles the cost for zero new info.**(API) Turn on prompt caching + the Batch API.** Cached input and non-realtime batch jobs are dramatically cheaper. Most people never switch them on.**Cap extended thinking on routine sessions.** Great for hard problems, pure overhead on easy ones. A read-only script (Windows PowerShell + bash) that scans your local Claude Code transcripts and shows input/output/cached tokens + cache-hit % over the last N days. Run it weekly; watch the number drop. (Included in this sample.) The paid **Claude Code Token-Saver Kit** adds: - The full 18-tactic playbook, ranked by $ saved per minute - A ready-to-merge cost-control `settings.json` (model default, thinking cap, hygiene hook) - A model-routing decision table - A drop-in `cost-control.md` rules file - Single-seat commercial license + 14-day refund Prices and model names change — always confirm current numbers in Anthropic's official docs. The tactics are durable.