Helga went shopping for a new pair of shoes. At the first store, she tried on 7 pairs of shoes. At the second store, she tried on 2 more pairs than at the first store. At the third store, she did not try on any shoes, but she did buy a scarf. But at the fourth store, she tried on twice as many pairs of shoes as she did at all three other stores combined, before finally choosing a pair to buy. What is the total number of pairs of shoes Helga tried on before buying her new shoes? Think carefully first, then make a decision:
At the second store, she tried on 7 + 2 = 9 pairs of shoes. Therefore, at the first three stores, she tried on 7 + 9 + 0 = 16 pairs of shoes. At the fourth store, she tried on 16 * 2 = 32 pairs of shoes. Thus, in total, she tried on 16 + 32 = 48 pairs of shoes. So, the answer is 48.