Each month, Charlie puts money in his piggy bank. He already had $20 from his allowance. He then added the same unknown amount he earns from walking his neighbor's dog. Charlie has saved a total of $240 in the last 4 months. How much did he earn from walking the neighbor's dog each month?

Charlie made $ __ each month from walking his neighbor's dog.

1 answer

Let \( x \) be the amount Charlie earns each month from walking the neighbor's dog. Over the last 4 months, Charlie would have saved a total of \( 4x \) from dog walking, in addition to the $20 he started with.

The total amount he saved can be expressed as:

\[ \text{Total Savings} = 20 + 4x \]

We know from the problem statement that this total is equal to $240:

\[ 20 + 4x = 240 \]

To find \( x \), we first subtract 20 from both sides of the equation:

\[ 4x = 240 - 20 \]

\[ 4x = 220 \]

Next, we divide both sides by 4:

\[ x = \frac{220}{4} \]

\[ x = 55 \]

Thus, Charlie earns $55 each month from walking his neighbor's dog.

So, the answer is:

Charlie made $ 55 each month from walking his neighbor's dog.