Hey there,

82% of small business employers have invested in AI tools in 2026. That’s great. But here’s the part nobody talks about: most of them are paying for tools they barely use, tools that overlap, or tools they’ve outgrown.

Today I’m giving you a simple 30-minute audit you can do right now to figure out exactly where your money is going — and where to cut.

THE AUDIT (30 MINUTES, START TO FINISH)

Grab a piece of paper or open a spreadsheet. You’re going to make 4 columns: Tool Name, Monthly Cost, Last Time I Used It, What I Use It For.

Step 1 (10 minutes): Pull up your credit card or bank statement from last month. Write down every software subscription. Not just AI — everything. Include the ones you forgot about. Especially those.

Step 2 (10 minutes): For each tool, answer honestly: when did I last use this? Not “when did I last log in” — when did I last use it to get something done?

Step 3 (5 minutes): Look for overlaps. Are you paying for Grammarly AND an AI assistant that can do the same thing? Paying for a scheduling tool AND a project management tool that has scheduling built in? Circle every overlap.

Step 4 (5 minutes): Make three piles. Keep (use it weekly, no overlap). Cancel today (haven’t used it in 30+ days). Downgrade (using it, but maybe the free tier is enough).

That’s it. 30 minutes. Most people find at least $50-100/month in savings.

REAL NUMBERS: WHAT THINGS ACTUALLY COST IN 2026

So you can compare while you audit, here’s what the major AI tools actually charge right now:

ChatGPT: Free (with ads, 10 messages per 5 hours on the flagship model), Go at $8/month (more messages, still has ads), Plus at $20/month (400-2,000 messages per 5 hours, no ads, Deep Research, Agent Mode).

Claude: Free (daily limits), Pro at $20/month (higher limits, priority access).

Google Gemini: Included free in Google Workspace Business plans. About 5 prompts/day on Starter, full access on Standard and above.