Mrs. Whitson wants to buy a banner for Franklin central junior high's hallway that costs $125. She wants to give away candy bars and suckers to the most spirited students. Each candy bar costs $2 each and each sucker costs $1 each. Mrs. Whitson budget is $1,079. If she buys equal numbers of candy bars and suckers, how many of each can she afford to buy?

Let's break down the problem step-by-step to find the number of candy bars and suckers Mrs. Whitson can afford to buy.

1. **Total Budget**: Mrs. Whitson has a total budget of $1,079.
2. **Cost of the Banner**: The banner costs $125.
3. **Remaining Budget**: After buying the banner, the remaining budget is:
   \[
   1079 - 125 = 954
   \]

4. **Cost of Candy Bars and Suckers**:
   - Each candy bar costs $2.
   - Each sucker costs $1.

5. **Let** $ x $ **be the number of candy bars and suckers Mrs. Whitson buys**. Since she buys equal numbers of candy bars and suckers:
   - Total cost for candy bars: $ 2x $ dollars.
   - Total cost for suckers: $ 1x $ dollars.

6. **Total Cost for Candy Bars and Suckers**: The combined cost for $ x $ candy bars and $ x $ suckers is:
   \[
   2x + 1x = 3x
   \]

7. **Set Up the Equation**: We want to find $ x $ such that the total cost does not exceed the remaining budget of $954:
   \[
   3x \leq 954
   \]

8. **Solve for $ x $**:
   \[
   x \leq \frac{954}{3} = 318
   \]

So, Mrs. Whitson can afford to buy **318 candy bars** and **318 suckers**.

Would you like a more detailed explanation or have any other questions?

### Related Questions:
1. What if the cost of the banner was higher or lower? How would that affect the number of candy bars and suckers she can buy?
2. How would the solution change if candy bars and suckers had different costs (e.g., candy bars costing $3 each)?
3. If Mrs. Whitson had a different total budget, how would you calculate the number of candy bars and suckers?
4. What if Mrs. Whitson wanted to buy a different ratio of candy bars to suckers (e.g., twice as many suckers as candy bars)?
5. How can we express the total number of items bought in terms of $ x $?

### Tip:
When dealing with word problems, break down the information given into smaller parts and use algebraic expressions to find a solution systematically.

Explore how to calculate the number of candy bars and suckers Mrs. Whitson can buy for her school with a $1,079 budget. The problem involves basic algebra concepts, including budgeting, linear equations, and cost calculations. Suitable for middle school students (Grades 6-8).

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