Tips That Save You Money
The top 5 habits that reduce your Claude Code usage by 50%:
Tip 1: Keep sessions under 30 messages
Start fresh often. A new session costs less than resuming an old one. Once you hit 20 - 30 messages, type handoff and /exit, then start a new cc session.
Tip 2: Never resume old sessions
Always start a fresh session for new work. Old sessions accumulate context that wastes tokens. Use handoff to save what you need, then start fresh.
Tip 3: Use /btw for side questions
Need a quick answer without derailing your task? Type /btw "your quick question". This doesn't add to your conversation history, so it saves tokens.
Tip 4: Be specific in prompts
When possible, point Claude to the specific file or area. For example, "the login page crashes when I leave email empty" is better than "something is broken". If you know the file name, even better: "Fix the bug in src/login.js". The more specific you are, the fewer tokens Claude uses searching.
"Fix the bug in src/login.js where the password field doesn't validate"
"Write a function to parse CSV files in main.py and add tests for it"
"Review my API error handling in app/routes.py for best practices"
Tip 5: Reset if Claude gets confused
If Claude seems confused or is going in circles, type /clear and start over with a better prompt. A fresh start is often faster than trying to correct course.
These 5 habits alone can cut your usage by 50%