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$40 a Day

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$40 a Day is a Food Network show hosted by Rachael Ray.

In each episode, Rachael takes a one-day trip to an American or European city with only US$40 to spend. While touring the city, she finds restaurants to go to and usually manages to fit three meals and some sort of snack or after-dinner drink into her small budget. Generally, non-food items and non-food-related activities are not included in her budget.

Rachael 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, Rachael only used item prices against her $40 limit. She started including applicable taxes and tips during the first season. Rachael is notoriously known for being a bad tipper, usually tipping 10% or less, regardless of the size of the bill. 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).

Her pilot and first few episodes also had a 12-hour limit. It was raised to 24 hours long before she starting including tax and tip in her budget.

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 Caribbean island locales, including The Bahamas and Antigua, both of which generally accept the U.S. dollar and peg their own currency to the same.

The show premiered on April 22, 2002, some five months after the debut of 30 Minute Meals, making it her second Food Network show. Production is currently on hiatus; it's believed that Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels, which is somewhat similar to this show, has replaced it in production, though reruns of $40 a Day still air virtually every day on Food Network.

Where she has been

Season 1:

Season 2:

Season 3:

Season 4: