I used a $20 AI tool to finish 24 days of coding in 12 hours - but there's a big catch

A developer paid $20 for Codex AI integration with VS Code, completing 24 days of coding work in just 12 hours with a 16x productivity boost. Despite the remarkable efficiency, they faced unexpected usage limits—first a 33-minute hold, then 90 minutes, and finally a week-long lockout—forcing the choice between limited usage or upgrading to a $200/month plan.