On Saturday, you spend $33, give $15 to a friend, and receive $20 for mowing your neighbor’s lawn. You have $21 left. Use two methods to find how much money you started with that day.

On Saturday, you spend $33, give $15 to a friend, and receive $20 for mowing your neighbor’s lawn. You have $21 left. Use two methods to find how much money you started with that day.

I think it is 49?

49 is correct

started with $X.

x - 33 - 15 + 20 = 21.

To find out how much money you started with on Saturday, we can use two methods: the subtraction method and the accumulation method.

Method 1: Subtraction Method
1. Start with the amount of money you have left at the end of the day, which is $21.
2. Subtract the amount you received for mowing your neighbor's lawn, which is $20.
$21 - $20 = $1
3. Subtract the amount you gave to your friend, which is $15.
$1 - $15 = -$14

According to the subtraction method, you started the day with -$14, which means you actually had a deficit or were in debt at the beginning of the day. This implies that you started with less than $0.

Method 2: Accumulation Method
1. Start with the amount you spent during the day, which is $33.
2. Add the amount you received for mowing your neighbor's lawn, which is $20.
$33 + $20 = $53
3. Add the amount you gave to your friend, which is $15.
$53 + $15 = $68

According to the accumulation method, you started the day with $68.

Using these two methods, we find that you either started with a deficit of -$14 or with $68. It's important to note that without additional information, we can't determine the exact amount you started with on Saturday.