the cost of t, number of \$7.00 movie tickets plus a bag of \$5.00 popcorn

Suppose Kathy has [b]x[/b] money.
1/2 x or x/2 are spent on groceries.
[tex]\frac{1}{4}\cdot \frac{x}{2}[/tex] she spends to by gas.

And we know that she left with \$5

[tex]x - \frac{x}{2} - \frac{1}{4} \cdot \frac{x}{2} = 5[/tex]

Is it clear?

Kathy had some money. She spent half the money on groceries. She spent 1/4 of what she had left on gas. Then she had $5.00 left. How much did she start with?