Question

Jasmine plans to make and sell birdhouses this summer to earn extra money. She bought some woodworking tools for $286, and she will need to buy $12 worth of wood for each birdhouse. She plans to sell the birdhouses for $25 each.
How many birdhouses must Jasmine sell so that her sales equal the cost of the wood and tools?
birdhouses

Answer 1

To find out how many birdhouses Jasmine needs to sell for her sales to equal her costs, we can set up the following equation:

1. **Total Costs**: This includes the cost of the tools and the cost of wood for each birdhouse.
- Cost of tools: $286
- Cost of wood per birdhouse: $12
- Total cost for \( x \) birdhouses: \( 286 + 12x \)

2. **Total Revenues**: This is the money Jasmine makes from selling the birdhouses.
- Selling price per birdhouse: $25
- Total revenue from selling \( x \) birdhouses: \( 25x \)

We want to find \( x \) such that total revenue equals total costs:
\[
25x = 286 + 12x
\]

3. **Solve for \( x \)**:
\[
25x - 12x = 286
\]
\[
13x = 286
\]
\[
x = \frac{286}{13}
\]
\[
x = 22
\]

Therefore, Jasmine must sell **22 birdhouses** to cover her costs.