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  "path": "/stephanie_ebolue_323ca8d3/set-an-aws-billing-alarm-right-now-before-you-do-anything-else-1dbn",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-19T09:29:16.000Z",
  "site": "https://dev.to",
  "textContent": "Hey devs 👋\nQuick one today — if you’re new to AWS (or even if you’re not), this is your reminder to set a billing alarm if you haven’t already.\nAWS is pay-as-you-go, which means every running service is potentially adding to your bill. A billing alarm through CloudWatch + SNS will email you the moment your charges cross a threshold you define. Think of it as a smoke detector for your AWS account.\nSteps:\n1. AWS Console → search CloudWatch\n2. Alarms → Create Alarm\n3. Select Metric → Billing → Total Estimated Charge → USD\n4. Set threshold (I use $5 as a starting point)\n5. Create SNS topic → enter your email\n6. Confirm the subscription email from AWS ← CRITICAL STEP\n7. Name the alarm → Create\nThe trap everyone falls into: AWS sends a confirmation email for the SNS subscription. If you don’t click that link, the alarm exists but will never notify you. Check spam. Confirm it. Then you’re good.\nTotal time: ~5 minutes.\nTotal peace of mind: immeasurable.\nGo set it up. Your wallet is counting on you. 💸☁️",
  "title": "Set an AWS Billing Alarm Right Now — Before You Do Anything Else"
}