If a consumer is maximizing total utility with a budget constraint, which of the following scenarios best illustrates the principle of marginal utility per dollar spent?

When a consumer wants to get the most satisfaction from their money, they need to think about how much happiness each item gives them compared to its price. This is called marginal utility per dollar spent. For example, if a consumer is choosing between a slice of pizza that costs $2 and gives them 10 units of happiness, and a soda that costs $1 and gives them 4 units of happiness, they calculate the utility per dollar. The pizza gives 5 units of happiness per dollar spent (10/2), while the soda gives 4 units of happiness per dollar spent (4/1). To maximize total utility, the consumer should buy more pizza because it gives more happiness for each dollar spent, demonstrating the principle effectively.