Suppose a consumer uses his income to buy food (F) and clothing (C) (note, his preferences are to not go without either). The current composite market price of food is $2.00 per unit and the current composite market price of clothing is $5.00. The consumer is currently exhausting all of his income and consuming a bundle (F,C) such that his Marginal Rate of Substitution (?C/?F = MUF/MUC) is 3.
Draw the consumer's budget constraint and indifference curve to illustrate this condition. Is the consumer maximizing his utility? If so, explain why. If not, explain why not, explain how the consumer should adjust his purchases, and illustrate the result graphically.