# $40 a Day

$40 a Day was a Food Network show hosted by Rachael Ray. In each episode, Ray takes a one-day trip to an American, Canadian, or European city with only $40 US, to spend on food. While touring the city, she finds restaurants to go to (often based on local recommendations), and usually manages to fit three meals and some sort of snack or after-dinner drink into her small budget.
The show premiered on April 1, 2002, five months after the debut of 30 Minute Meals, making it her second show on the Food Network. Some clips are sometimes used in Ray's later series, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. Another Food Network series, Giada's Weekend Getaways starring Giada De Laurentiis, is similar in format, as noted by Anthony Bourdain. In 2010, The Travel Channel began airing reruns of the show. As of 2013, the show is no longer in reruns on the Travel Channel.

## Details

According to Ray, visiting a fast food restaurant, particularly those of national chains, is considered cheating (she says so explicitly in the Orlando episode). On occasion, smaller sit-down restaurant chains (such as Bahama Breeze in the Las Vegas episode, or Bongos in the South Beach episode) are visited. Generally, non-food items and non-food-related activities are not included in her budget.
Ray always offers tips on what to see in the various cities, as well as hints on how to save money and find bargains while traveling. She also emphasizes researching whatever city she plans to visit through the Internet and asking the local citizens for their recommendations.
Initially, Ray only used item prices against her $40 limit. She started including applicable taxes and tips during the first season. On occasion, she does go over budget; however, during her trips to Philadelphia and Arizona, she did so on purpose. Her cheapest day was in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2003, when she spent just under $25 USD including taxes and tips (at the time, less than $40 Canadian, although she budgeted for $40 USD). On occasions, she has had to get creative to stay on-budget; for example, she accidentally blew half her budget on her second meal in her first Miami episode.
The pilot, shot in Los Angeles, had a 12-hour limit, but subsequent episodes raised it to 24 hours. Usually episodes begin in the morning with breakfast, occasionally brunch. Episodes almost always feature four paid meals, but on at least one occasion, in the Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC), she did five meals. Also on rare occasion, only three meals are paid, and a fourth ends up being free. On only one occasion, in Antigua, she partook of a hotel's free Continental breakfast, but she still did four paid meals in that episode.
On her first visit to Las Vegas during the first season, Ray began with dinner and stayed overnight, ending with breakfast.
She did several episodes in Europe when the euro was still valued less than the U.S. dollar. She has not visited Europe since the U.S. dollar has fallen under the euro in value. She has also visited several island locales, including Bermuda and Antigua, both of which generally accept the U.S. dollar.
Ray has occasionally drawn controversy when some meals end up calculating with less-than-traditional tips.

## Episodes
### Season 1 (2002–03)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 1 | 1 | "Los Angeles" | Tara Sandler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 1, 2002 (2002-04-01) | AD1A01 |
| 2 | 2 | "Napa" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 24, 2002 (2002-04-24) | AD1A03 |
| 3 | 3 | "Florida Keys" | Wade Sheeler and Courtney MacGregor | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | May 1, 2002 (2002-05-01) | AD1A06 |
| 4 | 4 | "Vancouver" | Wade Sheeler and Courtney MacGregor | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | May 15, 2002 (2002-05-15) | AD1A08 |
| 5 | 5 | "San Francisco" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | May 22, 2002 (2002-05-22) | AD1A02 |
| 6 | 6 | "Orlando" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | May 29, 2002 (2002-05-29) | AD1A05 |
| 7 | 7 | "Seattle" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | June 5, 2002 (2002-06-05) | AD1A09 |
| 8 | 8 | "Miami" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | June 12, 2002 (2002-06-12) | AD1A07 |
| 9 | 9 | "Monterey" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | June 19, 2002 (2002-06-19) | AD1A04 |
| 10 | 10 | "Portland" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | June 26, 2002 (2002-06-26) | AD1A10 |
| 11 | 11 | "San Diego" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | July 10, 2002 (2002-07-10) | AD1A12 |
| 12 | 12 | "Las Vegas" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | July 17, 2002 (2002-07-17) | AD1A11 |
| 13 | 13 | "Santa Barbara" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | July 28, 2002 (2002-07-28) | AD1A13 |
| 14 | 14 | "Rome" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | August 14, 2002 (2002-08-14) | AD1A17 |
| 15 | 15 | "Paris" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | October 2, 2002 (2002-10-02) | AD1A14 |
| 16 | 16 | "Amsterdam" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | October 9, 2002 (2002-10-09) | AD1A16 |
| 17 | 17 | "Cooperstown" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | October 16, 2002 (2002-10-16) | AD1A26 |
| 18 | 18 | "Florence" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | October 23, 2002 (2002-10-23) | AD1A19 |
| 19 | 19 | "Charleston" | Lesley Mayer | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | October 28, 2002 (2002-10-28) | AD1A21 |
| 20 | 20 | "Tuscany" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | November 6, 2002 (2002-11-06) | AD1A18 |
| 21 | 21 | "Savannah" | Lesley Mayer | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | November 28, 2002 (2002-11-28) | AD1A20 |
| 22 | 22 | "Atlanta" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | December 4, 2002 (2002-12-04) | AD1A22 |
| 23 | 23 | "New York City" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | January 8, 2003 (2003-01-08) | AD1A25 |
| 24 | 24 | "Philadelphia" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | January 15, 2003 (2003-01-15) | AD1A24 |
| 25 | 25 | "Washington, D.C." | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | January 29, 2003 (2003-01-29) | AD1A23 |
| 26 | 26 | "Brussels" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | February 12, 2003 (2003-02-12) | AD1A15 |

### Season 2 (2003–04)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 27 | 1 | "Dallas" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | March 7, 2003 (2003-03-07) | AD1B07 |
| 28 | 2 | "Vermont" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23) | AD1B01 |
| 29 | 3 | "Oahu" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30) | AD1B04 |
| 30 | 4 | "Cape Cod" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | May 14, 2003 (2003-05-14) | AD1B02 |
| 31 | 5 | "Hawaii" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21) | AD1B05 |
| 32 | 6 | "Boston" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | May 28, 2003 (2003-05-28) | AD1B03 |
| 33 | 7 | "Corpus Christi" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | June 4, 2003 (2003-06-04) | AD1B09 |
| 34 | 8 | "Memphis" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | June 11, 2003 (2003-06-11) | AD1B10 |
| 35 | 9 | "Maui" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | June 18, 2003 (2003-06-18) | AD1B06 |
| 36 | 10 | "Austin" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | June 25, 2003 (2003-06-25) | AD1B08 |
| 37 | 11 | "New Orleans" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | July 2, 2003 (2003-07-02) | AD1B11 |
| 38 | 12 | "Nashville" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | July 9, 2003 (2003-07-09) | AD1B12 |
| 39 | 13 | "Laguna Beach" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | July 23, 2003 (2003-07-23) | AD1B13 |
| 40 | 14 | "Sedona" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | September 3, 2003 (2003-09-03) | AD1B15 |
| 41 | 15 | "Palm Springs" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | September 10, 2003 (2003-09-10) | AD1B14 |
| 42 | 16 | "Milwaukee" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | September 17, 2003 (2003-09-17) | AD1B17 |
| 43 | 17 | "Tucson" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | September 24, 2003 (2003-09-24) | AD1B16 |
| 44 | 18 | "Chicago" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | October 8, 2003 (2003-10-08) | AD1B18 |
| 45 | 19 | "Montreal" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | December 10, 2003 (2003-12-10) | AD1B24 |
| 46 | 20 | "Denver" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | January 7, 2004 (2004-01-07) | AD1B21 |
| 47 | 21 | "Aspen" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | January 21, 2004 (2004-01-21) | AD1B22 |
| 48 | 22 | "Portland" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | February 25, 2004 (2004-02-25) | AD1B23 |
| 49 | 23 | "Santa Fe" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | March 10, 2004 (2004-03-10) | AD1B20 |
| 50 | 24 | "Adirondacks" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 2, 2004 (2004-04-02) | AD1B25 |
| 51 | 25 | "Cleveland" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 9, 2004 (2004-04-09) | AD1B19 |
| 52 | 26 | "Saratoga" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 16, 2004 (2004-04-16) | AD1B26 |

### Season 3 (2004–05)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 53 | 1 | "Park City" | Wade Sheeler | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | August 20, 2004 (2004-08-20) | AD1C02 |
| 54 | 2 | "Grand Canyon" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | August 27, 2004 (2004-08-27) | AD1C04 |
| 55 | 3 | "Durham" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | August 29, 2004 (2004-08-29) | AD1C08 |
| 56 | 4 | "Las Vegas" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | September 10, 2004 (2004-09-10) | AD1C05 |
| 57 | 5 | "Bermuda" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | September 24, 2004 (2004-09-24) | AD1C06 |
| 58 | 6 | "Sun Valley" | Wade Sheeler and Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | October 15, 2004 (2004-10-15) | AD1C01 |
| 59 | 7 | "Chattanooga" | Wade Sheeler and Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | October 29, 2004 (2004-10-29) | AD1C10 |
| 60 | 8 | "Hilton Head" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | November 12, 2004 (2004-11-12) | AD1C07 |
| 61 | 9 | "Asheville" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | November 19, 2004 (2004-11-19) | AD1C09 |
| 62 | 10 | "Telluride" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | November 26, 2004 (2004-11-26) | AD1C03 |
| 63 | 11 | "Newport" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | December 17, 2004 (2004-12-17) | AD1C12 |
| 64 | 12 | "Martha's Vineyard" | Wade Sheeler and Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | January 7, 2005 (2005-01-07) | AD1C13 |
| 65 | 13 | "The Hamptons" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 22, 2005 (2005-04-22) | AD1C11 |

### Season 4 (2005–06)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code |
| 66 | 1 | "Mystic" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | January 21, 2005 (2005-01-21) | AD1D02 |
| 67 | 2 | "Nantucket" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | February 4, 2005 (2005-02-04) | AD1D01 |
| 68 | 3 | "Salem" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | February 18, 2005 (2005-02-18) | AD1D03 |
| 69 | 4 | "Jackson Hole" | Wade Sheeler and Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 12, 2005 (2005-04-12) | AD1D06 |
| 70 | 5 | "Mount Rushmore" | Wade Sheeler and Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | April 19, 2005 (2005-04-19) | AD1D07 |
| 71 | 6 | "Ashland" | Wade Sheeler and Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | May 3, 2005 (2005-05-03) | AD1D05 |
| 72 | 7 | "Coos Bay" | Wade Sheeler and Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | May 13, 2005 (2005-05-13) | AD1D04 |
| 73 | 8 | "South Beach" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | June 10, 2005 (2005-06-10) | AD1D09 |
| 74 | 9 | "Ft. Lauderdale" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | July 8, 2005 (2005-07-08) | AD1D10 |
| 75 | 10 | "San Juan" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | July 22, 2005 (2005-07-22) | AD1D11 |
| 76 | 11 | "Antigua" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12) | AD1D12 |
| 77 | 12 | "New York City" | Don Colliver | Peter Field and Rachael Ray | December 2, 2005 (2005-12-02) | AD1D08 |