Final answer:
The bag cost $72.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how much the bag cost, we need to add up the amounts saved in each of the 8 consecutive weeks. The amounts saved increase by $2 each week, starting from $2 in the first week and ending with $16 in the eighth week. We can find the sum of these amounts using the formula for the sum of an arithmetic series:
Sum = (n/2)(first term + last term)
Plugging in the values, we have:
Sum = (8/2)(2 + 16) = 4(18) = 72 dollars
Therefore, the bag cost $72.