I Ran 10 AI Coding Models Through Real Client Work — Here's the Bill

So here's what happened: i Ran 10 AI Coding Models Through Real Client Work — Here's the Bill Last Tuesday I burned through $47 on Claude and GPT calls before lunch. That's not a flex — that's a problem. My hourly rate doesn't pencil out when I'm hemorrhaging cash on tokens just to debug a client's Express middleware. So I did what any freelance dev with a side hustle would do: I stress-tested ten cheaper coding models across actual client deliverables. Not toy prompts. Not "write me a…