📄 中文摘要
追踪 LLM 代币使用和饮食习惯之间存在奇妙的相似之处。两者在表面上看似毫无关联，但其背后的心理机制却相同。API 成本和卡路里在默认情况下都是隐形的，用户往往在不知不觉中累积支出，直到收到账单或体重秤的反馈。作者在经历了一个月无意间花费 140 美元的 API 调用后，开始关注自己的 LLM 成本，意识到这种隐形支出与饮食习惯的相似性，进而探讨了如何有效管理这两种习惯以避免超支。通过对这两种习惯的反思，作者揭示了人们在追踪和管理隐性支出时所面临的共同挑战。
我像追踪卡路里一样追踪我的 LLM 支出——这两种习惯为何都能坚持
📄 English Summary
I Track My LLM Spending Like I Track My Calories — Here's Why Both Habits Stick
There is an intriguing parallel between tracking LLM token usage and monitoring food intake. At first glance, these two habits seem unrelated, but the psychological mechanisms behind their persistence are identical. Both API costs and calories are inherently invisible, leading users to accumulate expenses without awareness until they receive a bill or feedback from a scale. After unknowingly spending $140 on API calls in a month, the author began to pay attention to LLM costs, realizing the similarity between this hidden expenditure and dietary habits. The article explores effective strategies for managing these habits to avoid overspending, highlighting the common challenges people face when tracking and managing invisible expenses.