Question

Larry bought a shirt for $42 and a jacket for $84. After spending on these items, he has 1/5 of his money how many did he had in the first place

Answer 1

42 + 84 = 4/5x
126 = 4/5x
Multiply 5/4 on both sides to clear the fraction
5/4 * 126=x
157.50 = x
If he has 1/5 left, he spent 4/5. The two items that were bought represent 4/5ths of the total money,x.

Answer 2

Let x be how much Larry had in the beginning.

x-42-84=$\frac{1}{5}$x

We simplify to 
$\frac{x}{5}$=x-126

Then, we multiply each side by 5.
x= 5x-630
5x=x+630
5x-x=630
4x=630
x=$\frac{630}{4}$
x= 157.5

So, he had $157.50 in the first place.