I Burned 10 Million Tokens in 7 Days—Here’s What It Taught Me About Building (and Life)

Introduction: The Vibe Is Learning, Not Perfection

Let me be real with you—this week was a wild ride in the world of vibe coding. If you're new here, "vibe coding" isn’t just building apps. It's building yourself through the apps. It’s when debugging Supabase functions is low-key spiritual warfare, your kid shades you via text, and yet—you still show up.

I joined the Bolt.new Hackathon last week. Not to win. Just for the vibes. And yes, it's fun. Also yes, I’ve burned through 10 million AI tokens like it was Monopoly money. I’ve started six apps. Only one is sort of done. And I am very much learning to chill the hell out and actually finish what I start.

This is the messy middle of the learning curve, and you’re gonna hear all about it.

🔧 What Is Vibe Coding, Really?

• Vibe Coding is emotion-first dev—you code from your gut, not a textbook.

• It’s less “follow the tutorial,” more “talk to the app like it owes you money.”

• It’s where creativity meets chaos, and the only constant is caffeine and debugging.

This Week's Projects: Wins, L’s & WTFs

Blurble: The Voice Dump App

• What it does: You rant. AI listens. Then reframes your ramble into something that makes sense.

• Status: Mid-build. UI's vibing. Supabase is... being Supabase.

• Biggest lesson: Finish one before starting six. 🙃

Pluck: An AI-powered daily report system, for My Wife

• Out of the concept stage, 90% built. Close to the heart. She asked, I promised. This one will be beautiful.

💥 Lessons From Burning 10M Tokens in 7 Days

• I didn’t plan before building. Huge mistake.

• Now I know: I plan out the app and funtion and Design my front-end flow FIRST.

• Bolt + Supabase is powerful—but it’s not “vibes only.” You need strategy.

🧠 Mindset Shift: Stop Chasing Motivation, Build Momentum

You don’t need more motivation. What you need is momentum. Start small. Push through the stuck moments. Walk away when you need to—but always come back.

Consistency beats intensity every time.

📓 Journal Prompt:

“Where am I choosing distraction over completion—and what would it feel like to finish?”

💡 Action Strategy: Plan First. Prompt Second.

Before whispering sweet nothings to Bolt or opening Supabase:

1. Sketch your user flow (pen, whiteboard, napkin—doesn’t matter).

2. Write out the app's 3 core functions.

3. Do not touch AI prompts until this is done.

4. Save tokens. Save your sanity. Ship faster.

💬 Real Life Intermission: Family, Feels & Boundaries

Let’s pause the tech talk for a sec.

• My daughter hasn’t spoken to me in weeks. Then out of the blue: "Can I have money for my semi-formal?"

• I didn’t answer. Not out of pettiness, but principle. We need a real conversation—not transactional texts.

• Meanwhile, my middle daughter is thriving. First job. Big smile. I’m proud beyond words.

Life’s not clean code. It’s messy. But we keep showing up.

🎯 The Plan This Week: Simplicity, Structure & Staying on One Platform

• LinkedIn is now home base for content.

• I’m dropping all the other platforms (for now).

• The mission? Focused energy. Fewer tabs open—in Chrome and in my brain.

Conclusion: Vibe Coding Is the Journey, Not the App

If you’re out here trying to code, better yourself, learn, parent, post, and not lose your damn mind—you’re not alone. This week was full of mistakes, reflections, and a couple quiet wins.

Vibe coding means honoring your energy. Taking the Ls with humor. Getting better at planning your moves before you make them.

And if you're like me—still building that first unfinished app—it’s okay. Start where you are. Keep trying. The finish line ain’t going anywhere.

Marc