Final answer:
To find out how much Brandon spent in total, add the prices of the items and the sales tax.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how much Brandon spent in total, we need to calculate the sum of the prices of the T-shirt and the shorts, and then add the sales tax.
The price of the T-shirt is $8.99, and the price of the shorts is $11.99. Therefore, the total cost of the items before sales tax is $8.99 + $11.99 = $20.98.
Next, we need to calculate the amount of sales tax. The rate of sales tax is 7%, which means that 7% of $20.98 needs to be added to the total cost.
To calculate the sales tax, we can multiply $20.98 by 7% (or 0.07). $20.98 * 0.07 = $1.47.
Finally, we can find the total amount spent by adding the total cost of the items and the sales tax. $20.98 + $1.47 = $22.45.
In total, Brandon spent $22.45.