To determine which company the O’Donnells should choose for the balloons, we can set up two equations representing the total cost for each company based on the cost of balloons plus the delivery fee.
Let:
- \( x \) be the number of balloons (which is 30).
-
Balloon Express Cost:
- Cost per balloon: $2
- Delivery fee: $10
- Total cost \( C_E \) for Balloon Express: \[ C_E = 2x + 10 \]
-
Balloon Mania Cost:
- Cost per balloon: $1.50
- Delivery fee: $20
- Total cost \( C_M \) for Balloon Mania: \[ C_M = 1.5x + 20 \]
Now, substituting \( x = 30 \) into both equations:
For Balloon Express: \[ C_E = 2(30) + 10 = 60 + 10 = 70 \]
For Balloon Mania: \[ C_M = 1.5(30) + 20 = 45 + 20 = 65 \]
Now, we can compare the total costs:
- Total cost for Balloon Express: $70
- Total cost for Balloon Mania: $65
Now, we calculate the savings:
\[ \text{Savings} = C_E - C_M = 70 - 65 = 5 \]
Thus, the O’Donnells should choose Balloon Mania and will save $5.
The correct response is: Balloon Mania; $5