A sales tax of 13.00% increased the cost of a meal to $33.89. What was the cost of the meal before sales taxes? Round to the nearest cent.

Let's denote the cost of the meal before the sales tax as x. When the 13.00% sales tax is added to the cost of the meal, the total cost becomes $33.89. We can set up the following equation to represent this: $$\[x + 0.13x = 33.89\]$$ We can simplify this equation to solve for x: $$\[1.13x = 33.89\]$$ Now, divide both sides by 1.13 to find x: $$\[x = \frac{33.89}{1.13}\]$$ Now, let's calculate x: $$\[x \approx 29.91\]$$ We need to round this to the nearest cent, so the cost of the meal before the sales tax is $29.91.