Hey,
You’ve got 12 AI tool subscriptions.
You use 2 of them.
The other 10? You signed up during a “game changer” hype wave, used them once, forgot your password, and now they’re quietly draining $47/month from your account.
I know because I did the same thing.
At one point I was paying $340/month for AI tools. Using maybe $80 worth.
Today I’m breaking down the 5 AI tools I actually use every single week. Not the ones I “should” use. Not the ones everyone’s talking about. The ones that legitimately save me 10+ hours per week and make me money.
If it’s not on this list, I either tried it and it sucked, or it’s solving a problem I don’t have.
THE AI SUBSCRIPTION GRAVEYARD
Here’s what I killed in the last 6 months:
- Jasper ($49/month) - Wrote like a robot having a stroke
- Copy.ai ($36/month) - Same problem, different logo
- Otter.ai ($17/month) - Transcribed meetings I should’ve just skipped
- Grammarly Premium ($30/month) - The free version does 90% of what I need
- Midjourney ($30/month) - Made cool art I had zero use for
- Various “AI assistants” ($120/month combined) - Glorified chatbots
Total waste: $282/month = $3,384/year
On tools that looked impressive in demos but added zero value to my actual work.
THE 5 TOOLS I ACTUALLY USE
Here’s what survived the purge:
TOOL 1: ChatGPT Plus ($20/month)
What I use it for:
- First drafts of everything (emails, proposals, content)
- Research and synthesis (give it 3 articles, get a summary)
- Brainstorming when I’m stuck
- Debugging code and automation workflows
What I DON’T use it for:
- Final copy (it needs heavy editing)
- Anything requiring my actual expertise
- Client-facing work without review
Time saved: 4 hours/week
The trick: Treat it like a junior employee. Give it clear instructions, expect 70% quality, edit the rest yourself.
Example prompt I use daily:
“I’m writing a newsletter about [topic]. My audience is [description]. My writing style is [style]. Give me 3 different angles I could take, then write a rough first draft of the one that would resonate most.”
It gives me a starting point. I rewrite 40% of it. Still saves me 90 minutes vs staring at a blank page.
TOOL 2: Claude (Free, occasionally $20/month for Pro)
What I use it for:
- Longer, more complex writing projects
- Analyzing documents and extracting insights
- Building detailed outlines and frameworks
- Anything requiring nuance (it’s better at this than ChatGPT)
What I DON’T use it for:
- Quick tasks (ChatGPT is faster)
- Image generation (not its thing)
Time saved: 2 hours/week
The difference: ChatGPT is your quick-hit tool. Claude is your deep-work tool.
When I need to analyze a 50-page document and pull out key insights? Claude.
When I need a quick email draft? ChatGPT.
TOOL 3: Descript ($24/month)
What I use it for:
- Editing video and audio by editing text (mind-blowing the first time you use it)
- Removing filler words automatically
- Creating clips from long-form content
- Transcription that’s actually accurate
What I DON’T use it for:
- Complex video editing (still use Premiere for that)
Time saved: 3 hours/week
The game-changer: I record a 30-minute video. Descript transcribes it. I edit the transcript (delete the ums, ahs, and tangents). The video edits itself.
What used to take 2 hours in Premiere now takes 20 minutes in Descript.
If you create any video or audio content, this tool pays for itself in week one.
TOOL 4: Perplexity Pro ($20/month)
What I use it for:
- Research that needs current information (ChatGPT’s knowledge cutoff is a problem)
- Fact-checking and source verification
- Competitive analysis
- Finding specific data points fast
What I DON’T use it for:
- Creative work (ChatGPT is better)
- Long-form writing (Claude is better)
Time saved: 1.5 hours/week
Why it’s worth it: It cites sources. When I’m writing something that needs to be accurate, I’m not guessing. I’m getting real data with links.
Example: “What are the top 5 marketing automation tools for service businesses in 2024, with pricing and key features?”
Perplexity gives me a formatted answer with sources. I verify, use the data, move on.
TOOL 5: Littlebird ($19/month)
What I use it for:
- Finding and organizing the best content in my industry
- Discovering trends before they blow up
- Competitive intelligence on what’s working
- Content inspiration that’s actually relevant
What I DON’T use it for:
- Creating content (that’s what the other tools are for)
Time saved: 2 hours/week
The hidden gem: Most people waste hours scrolling Twitter, LinkedIn, and newsletters trying to stay current. Littlebird does that for you.
It learns what topics matter to you, finds the signal in the noise, and delivers it in one clean feed.
I spend 15 minutes per day in Littlebird instead of 2 hours across 6 platforms. That’s 10+ hours saved per week.
Check it out here: littlebird.ai
BONUS TOOL: Notion AI ($10/month)
What I use it for:
- Quick summaries of meeting notes
- Organizing and structuring information
- Brainstorming within my existing workspace
- Cleaning up messy notes into actionable items
What I DON’T use it for:
- Heavy writing (ChatGPT and Claude are better)
- Complex analysis (Perplexity is better)
Time saved: 1 hour/week
Why it works: It’s built into where I already work. I don’t have to context-switch to another tool.
When I finish a meeting and have 3 pages of scattered notes, Notion AI turns them into a clean summary with action items in 30 seconds.
THE GALAXY.AI HACK
Here’s the move that cut my AI costs by 60%:
Instead of paying separately for ChatGPT Plus ($20), Claude Pro ($20), Perplexity Pro ($20), and others, I use Galaxy.ai.
One subscription: $15/month (or $399 lifetime)
You get pro versions of:
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Perplexity
- Gemini
- And 100+ other models
Same quality. Same features. One login. One bill.
I still pay for Descript and Littlebird separately because they’re specialized tools. But for the AI chat models? Galaxy.ai is the no-brainer move.
That’s $45/month saved = $540/year.
Check it out: galaxy.ai
THE TOOLS I TRIED AND HATED
Because you’re probably wondering:
Jasper/Copy.ai - Writes like a robot. Every sentence sounds like “Unlock the power of [thing] to revolutionize your [other thing].” Useless.
Otter.ai - Great transcription, but I realized I was transcribing meetings I should’ve just cancelled. The tool wasn’t the problem.
Midjourney - Makes beautiful art. I have zero use for beautiful art in my business. If you’re a designer, it’s probably great. For me, waste of money.
Various “AI assistants” - They’re all just ChatGPT with a different UI and 3x the price. Pass.
THE REAL COST OF AI TOOL HOARDING
Here’s what nobody talks about:
It’s not just the subscription cost. It’s the mental overhead.
Every tool you subscribe to is another:
- Login to remember
- Interface to learn
- Workflow to integrate
- Decision to make (”Should I use Tool A or Tool B for this?”)
I was spending 30 minutes per week just deciding which AI tool to use for what task.
Now I have 5 tools (plus Notion AI as a bonus). Clear use cases for each. Zero decision fatigue.
The result: I’m faster, more focused, and I’m saving $250/month.
YOUR HOMEWORK
This week, audit your AI subscriptions:
1. List every AI tool you’re paying for
2. Check your actual usage (most tools show this in settings)
3. If you haven’t used it in 30 days, cancel it
4. Keep only the tools you use weekly
Then reply and tell me:
- How many subscriptions you had
- How many you cancelled
- How much you’re saving per month
I bet it’s more than you expected.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Option 1: Start With The Free Versions
Every tool I listed has a free tier or trial:
- ChatGPT: Free version is solid
- Claude: Free version is great
- Descript: Free tier for light users
- Perplexity: Free version works
- Notion AI: Free trial available
Start there. Upgrade only when you hit the limits.
Option 2: Grab The AI Workflow Pack
I put together a guide with:
- My exact ChatGPT prompts for common business tasks
- Claude prompts for deep work
- Descript workflow templates
- Decision framework for which tool to use when
$47. Save yourself 10 hours of trial and error.
Reply “AI” and I’ll send the link.
Option 3: Strategy Call
Want me to audit your entire tech stack and identify what to keep, kill, and automate?
60 minutes, $500. You’ll walk away with:
- Your essential tools identified
- Automation opportunities mapped
- $200-500/month in subscription savings
- 5-10 hours per week back
Reply “STACK” to book.
THE PATTERN YOU’RE MISSING
Here’s what I’ve learned after trying 47 different AI tools:
The tool doesn’t matter. The system matters.
You don’t need the “best” AI tool. You need:
- Clear use cases
- Consistent workflows
- Actual implementation
I’ve seen people with ChatGPT Plus do more than people with $500/month in AI subscriptions.
The difference? They actually use it. They have prompts saved. They have workflows built. They’ve integrated it into their daily routine.
Stop collecting tools. Start using the ones you have.
COMING THURSDAY
I’m breaking down the content repurposing system that turns one piece of content into 12.
One video becomes:
- 3 short-form clips
- 5 social posts
- 2 newsletter sections
- 1 blog post
- 1 email sequence
All automated. Takes 15 minutes of my time per week.
See you Thursday.
-DSG
P.S. The average business owner has 8-12 AI tool subscriptions and uses 2-3 regularly. That’s $200-400/month in waste. Do the audit. Cancel the dead weight. Put that money toward tools that actually work.
P.P.S. If you’re not using ChatGPT or Claude yet, start today. Free versions. Just start. The learning curve is 20 minutes. The time savings is 5+ hours per week. There’s no excuse.