more of another.

For example, say that José starts off thinking about spending all his money on T-shirts and choosing point P,

which corresponds to four T-shirts and no movies, as Figure 6.2 illustrates. José chooses this starting point

randomly as he has to start somewhere. Then he considers giving up the last T-shirt, the one that provides him

the least marginal utility, and using the money he saves to buy two movies instead. Table 6.4 tracks the step-

by-step series of decisions José needs to make (Key: T-shirts are $14, movies are $7, and income is $56). The

following Work It Out feature explains how marginal utility can affect decision making.
142 6 • Consumer Choices

Try

Which Has

Total Utility

Marginal Gain and Loss of Utility, Compared

with Previous Choice

Conclusion

Choice

1: P

Choice

2: Q

Choice

3: R

Choice

4: S

Choice

5: T

4 T-shirts

and 0

movies

3 T-shirts

and 2

movies

2 T-shirts

and 4

movies

1 T-shirt

and 6

movies

0 T-shirts

and 8
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