To solve the inequality , you need to isolate . Start by subtracting 5 from both sides, giving you or . This tells you that any number less than -3 will satisfy the inequality.

In a real-world context, imagine you’re budgeting. If you know you can only spend less than $2 but accidentally included $5 in your spending, you’d need to track your expenses carefully to ensure you don’t go over that limit, meaning you must keep your actual spending at a maximum of $-3 (think of it as needing to be in the negative to avoid overspending)!