Cathy spent some of her money on a vest, a pair of trainers and some necklaces. She spent ¹₈ of her money and an additional $140 on a vest. Next, she spent ³₇ of the remaining money and an additional $44 on a pair of trainers. Finally, she spent ⁵₆ of what she had left on some necklaces and had $18 left. How much did Cathy have at first?
Fraction of the money that she had left
= 1 - ⁵₆ 
= ¹₆

¹₆ of the money she had left = 18
⁶₆ of the money she had left = 6 x 18 = 108

Fraction of the remaining money excluding the additional $44 spent on a pair of trainers
= 1 - ³₇
= ⁴₇

⁴₇ of the remaining money = 108 + 44 = 152
¹₇ of the remaining money = 152 ÷ 4 = 38
⁷₇ of the remaining money = 7 x 38 = 266

Fraction of the total money excluding the additional $140 spent on the vest
= 1 - ¹₈
= ⁷₈

⁷₈ of total money = 266 + 140 = 406
¹₈ of total money = 406 ÷ 7 = 58
⁸₈ of total money = 8 x 58 = 464

Amount that Cathy had at first = $464

Answer(s): $464