Start here
The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →Why the money conversation should not be a surprise audit
Charges on a shared card feel invisible until they are totalled. Deciding the principle first — how much, whose card, what needs asking — avoids turning each new app into a confrontation.
This is a budgeting agreement, not a punishment; it applies to adults in the household as much as to teenagers.
The protocol
- List every AI service and in-app purchase the household paid for last month.
- Total it, and separate the ones people use weekly from the ones nobody can remember.
- Agree a monthly ceiling and one rule for new purchases above a set amount.
- Agree a cancellation habit: anything unused for a month comes up at the review.
- Write the agreement, set the review date, and record the decisions made.
What the tool does
Build a family AI budget agreement It runs locally in this browser and sends nothing.
Limit first: This is a planning aid for a caregiver, not clinical, legal or safety advice. A tool cannot replace a trusted adult, a counsellor or emergency services.
Open the companion tool →Cost and free path
Cost: Free: one complete run in this browser, no account. Optional $4 one-time unlock allows unlimited runs of this tool on this browser. The free path and safety guidance never require payment.
Free path, in order (no cost):
- FTC consumer alerts on recurring charges and free trials
- CFPB complaint route for billing or cancellation problems
- Your card issuer's dispute process for a specific charge
What this cannot do: It cannot decide the outcome for you.
Sources checked 2026-10-03 · source bank reviewed against the live pages listed in metadata.
One human next step
If a subscription cannot be cancelled or bills continue after cancellation, file a complaint with the FTC and your state attorney general, and dispute with the card issuer in writing.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not used for a verdict. This builder organises the reader's own documents and names an independent source; it does not infer authenticity, eligibility, or legal rights. §6.9/§6.10/§6.11 disclosed in the batch report; §6.12 status line carried in metadata as `status_line`.
§0.5 protection result: category is family-teen-safety; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.