Weekender #180

The Weekender #180

A bold yellow cartoon cat with a red superhero cape stands confidently against a teal background, looking determined. To the left, a quote in white text reads: "The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. – Amelia Earhart." The cat’s expression and stance exude a no-nonsense, get-it-done attitude.

🤔 Brainteaser of the day: I come in different shapes and sizes. Some parts of me are curved, and others are straight. You can put me anywhere you like, but there is only one right place for me. What am I?

Click here to see the answer.

Check out our March 2025 Weekender Brainteasers here.

✅ Today’s Checklist:

Thania shares a real-life example of tackling medical debt consolidation
The Kate Hudson show to binge this weekend
Pets of the week: Cena, Tucker & Otis

QUICK LINKS

🟦 With AI on the rise, is design dead or just evolving?

💰 How to make money matter to your teen.

😌 Shift from anxiety to action with these four prompts to quiet fear and reclaim your power.

💡 Shine a light on hair loss solutions with red light therapy.

FINANCES

A colorful illustration of a man and woman on a seesaw, representing financial balance. The woman, wearing traditional clothing, places stacks of money on her side, tilting it downward. The man, also in traditional clothing, carries a heavy sack while a large weight labeled "DEBT" sits on his side, raising it higher. The image visually represents the struggle between savings and debt.

The Debt Payoff Plan That Saved My Friend Thousands in Interest

I’ve always been a big fan of financial transparency, and I think it’s incredibly helpful to see real-world examples of how people tackle their finances. The overwhelming part of personal finance is that there are about 19,325,928 ways to do it—and none of them are wrong, yet all of them are right, depending on the situation.

Recently, I responded to an Instagram story from an acquaintance who was considering debt consolidation. She was struggling with a mix of medical debt, home renovation costs, and unexpected financial changes. Her question?

“I’ve got a bunch of medical debt and I’m thinking of getting a personal loan, but I have no idea what I’m doing—help!”

Why Debt Consolidation Isn’t Always the Answer

Red flags immediately went off in my head. Personal loans usually come with high interest rates, and some debt consolidation companies are nothing more than legal loan sharks. Growing up rich-poor, I have PTSD from seeing my mom pawn her jewelry and car just to get by—only to be hit with outrageous interest rates. I didn’t want my friend to get trapped in something similar.

So, I spent a few hours helping her figure out a plan (see the Google Doc we created) that didn’t involve taking out a high-interest loan, especially as someone with a high credit score. Her financial situation wasn’t as straightforward as she thought:

Her medical debt wasn’t technically medical debt—it was a financed cosmetic procedure with a 0% APR offer.
She had put $30K into home renovations, assuming her sister would reimburse her when they sold the house. But due to trust issues, her sister refused.
Her income was unpredictable, as she was still grieving, dealing with mental health struggles, and transitioning back into full-time work.
She received a trust stipend, but that income would decrease in 2026, making it hard to plan ahead.
The “medical debt” was actually a personal loan, meaning it couldn’t be negotiated like traditional medical collections.

The Debt Payoff Strategy We Built

Instead of taking out a 17% APR SoFi Loan, here’s what we did:

Listed all her debts (credit cards, medical financing, etc.) along with their APRs and deadlines.
Mapped out her income and expenses to determine her exact financial situation.
Calculated how much “extra” she could afford to put toward debt repayment.
Researched 0% APR balance transfer credit cards to lower interest costs.
Used ChatGPT to generate different payoff strategies based on various financial scenarios.
Checked if she qualified for a higher credit limit to move debt around strategically.
Created a plan to pay down the highest-interest debt first.

The Final Debt Payoff Plan

She applied for a Bank of America Travel Card and was approved for $15K at 0% APR for 21 months.
She used $3K in savings to pay off her $672 CareCredit balance and her $2,023 Platinum CC.
She applied the $15K balance transfer to her $16,298.38 PatientFi loan, leaving only $1,298.38 left on that balance.
The next month, she planned to pay off that remaining amount with her $1,605 monthly debt budget.
Over the next three months, she would put $1,605 toward her $5,362.07 CitiBank credit card.
This would leave 9 months to aggressively pay off the remaining $15K balance transfer—without any interest.

The Outcome?

By following this plan, she will be completely debt-free in 21 months—without paying thousands in unnecessary loan interest. If she had taken the SoFi personal loan, she would have been stuck paying 17% APR on top of her existing debt.

Not everyone qualifies for a 0% APR credit card or has the flexibility to shuffle debt around, but the key takeaway here is to explore all options before locking into a high-interest personal loan. Take your time, weigh your options, and make a move that benefits you—not just what seems easiest.

circle image of Thania (TA Content Mgr)

Thania (TA Content Mgr)

P.S. None of this is financial advice! Just one girlfriend to another sharing how someone approached their debt 🙂

ATS TOOLS

A colorful, abstract digital illustration features a diverse group of people connected through documents, charts, and graphs. A person in the foreground, wearing a purple top, works on a laptop. Circular avatars of other individuals are scattered across the deep blue background, linked by green lines, symbolizing collaboration and data-sharing.

Is Your Hiring Process Stalling? Here’s How to Revive It

Hiring is a process full of endless resumes, candidate tracking, and way too much back-and-forth. But with the right Applicant Tracking System (ATS), it doesn’t have to be.

If you want to improve your hiring process, here’s how to make smarter, faster decisions and create a more efficient workflow.

Workable: The Sweet Spot for Small-to-Mid-Sized Teams

Workable is like the Goldilocks of ATS systems—not too complex, not too basic. It strikes a balance between user-friendly and feature-rich. Workable shines with its collaborative features, allowing your team to stay on the same page throughout the hiring process. The interface is sleek, and it offers solid candidate sourcing tools, which makes it perfect for small to mid-sized companies looking for a streamlined experience without any complexity.

BambooHR: The All-In-One HR Platform with ATS Capabilities

BambooHR is best known for being an all-in-one HR platform, but its ATS features are solid for smaller teams or businesses that need a simple, intuitive system. If you’re already using BambooHR for things like time-off tracking or employee management, adding their ATS tool into the mix is a no-brainer. It’s not as feature-heavy as Workable, but it does the job—especially if you’re looking for something lightweight that integrates easily with other HR processes.

With the right system, hiring can be faster, smarter, and less stressful.

STAFF PICKS

A pink background with three Polaroid-style frames labeled "Read," "Watch," and "Listen." The first frame features the book "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert with a colorful cover. The second frame shows the show "Running Point," with a woman in a red suit sitting in front of a city skyline and a basketball. The third frame highlights "The Mibo Show" podcast, focused on mind and body wellness, hosted by Shanti Das, with a cozy workspace setting in the background.

📚 Read: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

A love letter to creativity without the pressure, Big Magic is for anyone who’s ever wanted to make something—whether it’s a novel or just a better Monday morning. Liz Gilbert keeps it real about fear, curiosity, and what it means to create for the joy of it.

📺 Watch: Running Point on Netflix

Kate Hudson as a no-nonsense boss stepping into the chaotic world of pro basketball? Say less. Running Point is sharp, funny, and full of moments that’ll make you feel seen if you’ve ever tried to lead without losing your cool.

🎧 Listen: The Mibo Show by Shanti Das

A soothing mix of real talk and personal growth, The Mibo Show blends mental wellness, mindfulness, and meaning without the fluff. Perfect for your next walk, wind-down, or “I need something grounding” moment.

PAYROLL TOOL

A cheerful woman with flowing dark hair holds an oversized check with "PAYROLL" written on it. The check is made out to "Mr." and shows an exaggerated amount of "1,000,000 $" in bold yellow. The background is bright yellow with abstract shapes and sparkles, adding to the celebratory vibe.

Payroll That Doesn’t Make You Want to Scream

Payroll is a nightmare and a time-draining beast. You already have a million things on your plate, and payroll shouldn’t be one of them. The last thing you need is it swallowing your time or, even worse, triggering IRS problems.

Patriot takes the stress out of payroll. It automatically handles tax calculations, generates tax forms, and ensures you stay compliant with ever-changing laws.

Why it’s worth it:

🕐 Save hours: Run payroll in minutes, not your entire afternoon.
🧮 Built-in accuracy: Patriot calculates federal, state, and local taxes so you don’t have to cross-check a spreadsheet 12 times.
📜 Auto tax forms & updates: Stay compliant without refreshing IRS.gov daily.
👥 Employee self-service: Your team can grab pay stubs, update info, and help themselves—bless.

Skip the usual payroll pains:

❌ No manual errors
❌ No confusing tax forms
❌ No surprise penalties

Check out Patriot — so your payroll doesn’t have to suck.

JUST FOR FUN

A screenshot of a video featuring a Black woman with long wavy hair and glasses, sitting at a desk with a drink beside her. She wears a black top and looks passionate, possibly mid-sentence, with an expression of determination. The text overlay reads, "POV: that one millennial manager that's always going to bat for their people." The background shows a gallery wall with framed artwork and photographs. The image has a light purple border with a faint swirl pattern.

PET OF THE WEEK

A cozy scene featuring three dogs snuggled up together on a bed inside what appears to be an RV or camper. The dogs—a chocolate Labrador, a yellow Labrador, and a Weimaraner—are resting closely, with one laying its head on another. The setting includes a patriotic pillow with an American flag design. The image is framed within a graphic that reads "PET OF THE WEEK," decorated with paw prints and dog bones on a light blue background.

Meet Cena, Tucker & Otis

Cena (4, silver), Tucker (4, chocolate), and Otis (3, yellow) make their home their “mansion.” Though they’ve never been kenneled, they respect their boundaries and share a strong bond. Cena sees himself as the boss, Tucker embraces his role as the “old man,” and Otis is the affectionate heart of the trio.

🐾 Got a cute fur baby? Submit them to be our pet of the week in an upcoming issue.