Answer:
You had $118 the beginning of the month.
Step-by-step explanation:
Method 1:
Work the question backwards
You end up with $120, which resulted from depositing (or adding) $24,
So subtract that amount to see how much there was before the deposit
So before the deposit, you had $120 - $24, which is $96.
The $96 resulted from withdrawing (or subtracting) $22.
So add that amount to see how much there was before the withdrawal.
So before the withdrawal, you had $96 + $22, which was $118
Method 2:
Look at the difference between the withdrawal and deposit. Treat a withdrawal as a negative number since you are subtracting, or reducing the amount in the account. Treat any deposit as a positive number since you are adding to the amount in the account.
You withdrew 22, and deposited 24. Reword this as
You subracted 22 and added 24. Rewrite this as
-22 + 24 which simpifies to 2
So you added $2 overall during the month. You have $120, so
$120 - $2 is $118
