Ben spent one fifth of his money buying a notebook for class. He spent another half of what was left for a haircut. Then, he bought lunch for $10. When he got home, he had $2 left. How much did he have originally?
he had $30
notebook:
1/5 of $30= $6
30-6=$24
haircut:
24/2=$12
lunch:
12-10=$2
amount of money at start --- x
spent 1/5 of x on notebook, so 4/5 x left
haircut: 1/2 of 4/5 x = 2/5 x
so amount left = 2/5 x
spent another $10 on lunch
amount left = 2/5 x - 10
2/5 x - 10 = 2
2x/5 = 12
2x = 60
x = 30
He started with $30