where you are free to do anything you want. which may be nothing at all. royal caribbean international. why not cruise from baltimore? visit royalcaribbean.com today. we're back now more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 12th day of october, 2011. the rain has started here in new york city, just a little drizzle so far, so not so bad and we come outside to say hi to our nice people out on the plaza. matt lauer alo with ann curry, and mr. al roker, and coming up, the number one topic on the minds of just about everybody in the country right now, talking ♪ everything will always be all right ♪ this morning on "eat smart about the economy, so coming up our "money 911" panel is here, today" the best guilt free finds at the grocery store. here to help you and a half dpat talking about making sure you're is lisa lillian, star offed into putting your money in the right place when it comes to pension, prioritizing, your credit card network's "hungry girl" and

debt and saving for your author of "hungry girl children's education. supermarket." also, germaphobes, heads up, good to see you. >> good to see you. >> there's a lot of good things most of you on this list. out there. did you know if you make your >> a few simple swaps can save bed it actually does not help you hundreds of calories a day. prevent dust mites? >> snack aisle. it actually, not making your bed >> everybody loves snacking. these are pop chips. helps prevent dust mites? >> i love these. >> wow. >> these are so good, a great >> there you go. that is one of the tidbits of information coming up in a potato chip swap. they're popped, lakd not fried, segment they're about to do come in so many flavors. about germs and how germs can be the calorie counts are great and in your sponges and gym bags and they come in single serving also there are so many other bags. look out for those so you don't breeding grounds for germs. overdo it. >> pretzel chips? >> good to know. >> these are flat pretzels, >> i feel so much better now. >> i know. pretzel cribs, they're adorable our chat with first lady michelle obama, yesterday we and amazing flavors. what i like about these, they talked about her passion of come in nice and spicy flavors fighting childhood obesity so you don't want to overdo it. getting kids moving with her because you can shovel those and let's move campaign. she has another passion as we overdo it. they're low in fat and calories found out, getting a bargain. as well. >> a lot of people think i'll her recent trip to target stole the headlines, not the first have popcorn, it's a light deal but a lot of hidden calories can time she's tried to fly under the radar while doing retail be in the popcorn. >> a lot. you have to read labels, withyo therapy. she'll tell us all about it. >> natalie is standing by at the news desk with a look at the

headlines. >> good morning again, matt, ann and al. new jersey governor chris christie says he'll do everything he can to help mitt romney now that christie has endorsed romney for president. the endorsement hours before romney squared off against other republican candidates at a debate in new hampshire. he said there could have been a meltddown of the financial system had an action had to be taken. president obama's vowing to keep fighting for his proposed jobs bill after the bill failed to survive a crucial test vote tuesday in the senate. the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed to move it forward. the president says he will now work to pass individual components of the bill, and earlier on "today," vice president joe biden said people are hurting and something needs to be done. the state department has issued a worldwide travel alert warning americans of the potential for terrorist attacks against u.s. interests. the alert followed accusations that two iranian government

agents plotted to assassinate saudi arabia yes, sir ambassaam bassor's to the u.s. an israeli captured five years ago may soon be freed. this morning a cabinet agreed to free more than 1,000 prisoners in exchange for gilad shalit. one member voted against it and called it a huge victor for terror. sony is offering free inspections and repairs on 1.6 million bravia lcd televisions worldwide. a defect can cause overheating, smoke and melting parts. the company says it has received 11 such reports in japan, but none involved injuries or damage beyond the televisions. and take a look, this german shepherd is the ultimate bird brain, when he goes for a walk, max, the family parrot, goes with him, hitching a ride on his back or tail or wherever.

max doesn't necessarily tell him where to go but seems to enjoying being a back seat driver. now that is adorable. it is three minutes past the hour right now. let's get a check of the weather from al. >> thanks so much, natalie. let's see what's happening. we'll show you for today here in the east we have a storm system making its bay up the coast. we've gone seven, eight days without rain through much of the northeast. this is not a soaking, drenching rain. some areas may pick up to an inch but for the most part not all that bad. sunshine along the east coast, slight risk of strong storms in the mid section of the country >> good morning. off and on a light rain showers are expected. you may hear a rumble of thunder. temperatures will hold steady.

♪ somebody call 911, sure the fire burning on the dance floor whoa ♪ time for "today's 911" money experts, answering your questions this morning we have sharon epperson, and david bach, otherwise known as james bond, the author of "debt free for life" and farnoush girabi, personal finance contributor to yahoo.com. >> i always wanted to be james bond. >> bach, david bach and the bond girls, very nice. let's get to it. wayne in chicago is on the phone. good morning. >> caller: good morning. >> what's your question? >> caller: my wife is retiring

the first of the year. she went to get information about a pension she had with a company that was bought out by a large corporation. when she was terminated from that company back in '99, her estimated pension was over $1,000 a month at retirement. now they say it's only a couple hundred a month. how do we know this amount is correct? is there a way to verify that amount? >> sharon, a lot of folks have to be in wayne and his wife's situation. >> a lot of people are trying to find the lost pension and want the full benefit. you need to check the plan'sical class and when you can do this easily yourself you need to request in writing from the company two key documents, the summary plan description, the summary plan description is what was given to your wife when she left the company saying what her estimated benefit would be and you need the main plan document that actually outlines what the rules are to determine that benefit. once you have those documents you may be able to go through and do the calculations. you want to make sure you get those documents from when she was last working for the company, not the most recent ones so you can have that actual

original benefit. if you have any problems, there are a number of places that you can go to for help. there are pension counseling centers around the country, 29 states have them and you can find them through pensionrights.org, the pension rights center website and go to pensionhelpamerica.org, a great research and the professional group for actuaries and those are available on the today.com website as well. >> keep the statements forever. >> absolutely. >> when this happens and it happens a lot if you've got the statement, even if it's ten years old you can say here is the deal. >> we want to move along, heather from texas via skype. good morning, heather. >> good morning. >> what is your question? >> my husband and i have debt on two credit cards. one of the cards carries the lower balance and a 9.99% rate. the other card has about a few

thousand dollars more and 8.99% rate. the difference in the interest per month is only about $20. so our question is do we pay more towards the higher balance or do we do the even split that we've been doing between the two cards? >> that's a good question. >> we get this all the time. super simple answer actually and not what most people say. most say pay the highest interest rate. pay minimum payments on all cards and add the money to the smaller card. the reason is you'll pay off the smaller card faster and by paying off one of your cards faster you avoid the risk of late fees, over limit fees or annual fees in your case the interest rate is almost identical so focus on the smaller card, pay that one first and make no payment on the other card. >> to the phone lines, christine calling in from new jersey. good morning, your question? >> caller: good morning. my husband will be unemployed in six months when his office

closes. he has been looking for a new job for over a year. he will receive a severance package for two months and our home is our only debt and we have about six months of emergency funds saved, and i recently set up a home equity line of credit for emergencies, and what else do you think we should be doing to prepare for unemployment? >> farnoush? >> christine, great job getting your ducks in a row so far, you're doing great building momentum and taking advantage of this period until unemployment. two things i would add to your to do list, figure out if you can refinance your mortgage. you say this is your only debt but it's probably your biggest monthly expense. interest rates are really low and the time to act is now because your husband has a job. if the job is no longer in the picture, it's going to be next to impossible to qualify for a mortgage, so run the numbers, see if that makes sense. this could be a huge saver for your family. number two, continue to save. the six-month cushion you have is great.

i think nine or ten months would be even better and the reason i say that is because the average length of unemployment for the average unemployed person is ten months. so you want to hope for the best but plan for the worst. >> plan for the worst. we got a twitter question, this from vanessa, what is the best way to plan to save for kids' college, state prepaid, 529 or life insurance plans? >> there are 529, two plans opinion college plans and prepaid plans. you can prepay and the 529 is my favorite choice. for most flexibility you may want to stash in a brokerage account. >> thank you, sharon, david, or james bond, that turtle neck is bumping, and farnoush. did you know they're lurking everywhere you turn, not david's

turtle neck, but how to get rid of hidden germs in your home. sensible style for cool or rainy weather, right after these messages. think twice. it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better. listen to this with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia. and the great taste is recommended by me! tonight we're setting the table with something new. come in for olive garden's new stuffed rigatonis, hearty pasta stuffed with a blend of five italian cheeses. for just $11.95 try the rigatoni with grilled chicken in a roasted garlic alfredo. or for just $9.95 try the rigatoni with sausage in tomato alfredo. both served with our unlimited fresh salad or homemade soup

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because part of being the best is doing good. ♪ this morning on "today's health" hidden germs that could be lurking in your home. dr. carrie petersen is an internist and contributor to "women's health" magazine and here with simple tips to keep you as germ free as possible. good morning. >> good morning. >> let's start with the hidden germs and first being contact lens cases, and you say that we should be washing the solution, and we should be dumping the solution every time we basically put our contacts in our eyes. >> exactly, if you store them in

disinfecting solution at night when you put them in your eyes what's left over in the case should be considered dirty. discard it right into the bowl, rinse it out with hot water and let it air dry because that solution can breed germs and those germs like ceratio or staff aureus can cause keratitis, which is very bad. you want to replace this case every six months. >> not putting it in the dishwasher, just throw it out get a new one. and it's cheap anyway, right? contact lens solution has an expiration date. many people may not be aware of this. check your bottle and be sure not to use it after the expiration date. >> good to know. next your bed. did you know, this is going to gross you out, 8 h4% of the bed in the u.s. have dust mites. >> at least, our bedding our sheets. >> what can we do? >> the concern is many americans are allergic to them and it can

create runny nose, itchy eyes and in particular asthma. you want to be attentive to cleaning your bedding so basically dust mites thrive in humid conditions, which is why they love beds, our bodies get warm, they get sweaty and create this humid environment. >> right. >> you want to either first off you have an excuse, don't make your bed. >> like we need an excuse not to make the bed. now we have it. >> if you make your bed you're trapping the moisture in there and then they can thrive whereas if you leave it opened it dries the sheets out. >> wash the sheets, replace cases and pillows as often as you can as well. >> wash at least once a week. >> very good. sponges. we snow sponges are breeding grounds for all kinds of germs. >> yes. >> and what about if you -- so what can you do? i've heard putting it in the microwave or dishwasher. does that really work? >> well just the concern with sponges, they do harbor bacteria that can cause food poisoning so you want to designate a sponge

for your dishes and one for the countertop and be sure not to store it in your sink. put it on the counter where it can dry out. when you want to disinfect it, stick it in the dishwasher with your dishes, do a cycle with that or stick it in the microwave for one minute and that will completely get rid of the germs. >> all right, and replace them, toss them, they're cheap, too. >> exactly. >> makeup brushes, what kind of germs are breeding in your brushes and how often should you be washing them? >> what happens with makeup brushes you sweep them on to your skin, dead skin cells on it, oils from your face and they breed bacteria and get dirty. in the morning you take a shower and think you're nice and clean and you're wiping that dirt and oil back onto your skin. we recommend you want to take a little facial cleanser in some water and put the brush in there, sweep it around a little bit, swirl it and rinse it in clean water, give it a little rinse. >> wash every couple of days then? >> actually once a week. and then you air dry it on a

clean surface. >> gym bag, breeding grounds as well for germs, you should be cleaning this out and storing? >> washing out the inside, store your gym clothes in a plastic bag before you put it inside so you don't transfer germs from your gym into your bag. >> cell phones apparently they are much worse for germs than public toilets if you can believe that. disgusting. >> take a little anti-bacterial wipe, wipe off the keys and the back and you're all set. >> dr. carrie petersen as always you grossed us out this morning, thank you. come up next, michelle obama's not so so crete shopping trip to target, turns out she's done it before and likes costco, too, she'll tell us after these messages. can we show you something? wouldn't it be great to feel like this all the time? (yeaaaahhh!!) i guess so. well, with the chase freedom card, you get 5% cash back on up to $1500 worth of purchases. and new categories every 3 months. and 1% on everything else.

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and a good source of calcium. tting the table with something new. come in for olive garden's new stuffed rigatonis, hearty pasta stuffed with a blend of five italian cheeses. for just $11.95 try the rigatoni with grilled chicken in a roasted garlic alfredo. or for just $9.95 try the rigatoni with sausage in tomato alfredo. both served with our unlimited fresh salad or homemade soup and warm breadsticks. so grab a table tonight at olive garden. when you're here you're family.

[ male announcer ] we've always made it right. and now we ship it right. announcing shipped for free, guaranteed to last. no minimum order. no end date. from l.l. bean. sew al is a busy man, you traveled to the white house yesterday and caught one the first lady michelle obama. >> that's right. we participated in one of her let's move event and another big

event we talked about, her recent shopping trip to target. those pictures of you at target, i mean, is that -- do you sometimes miss the ability to do something like that on a regular basis? >> absolutely. but quiet as it's kept although not so quiet i do that more frequently than people realize, and it's amazing how people don't recognize you. they don't expect to see me at starbucks or at chipotle. i actually took bo to petco and the cashier asked me, oh, what kind of dog is that? i said a portuguese waterdog. he didn't recognize us because he didn't expect that we would be in petco so you know, my secret's out but we try to sneak out as much a >> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> we are going to have to contend with a little bit of rain today. it will not be steady rain. it will be off and on a through the afternoon. still a good idea to take an

umbrella. high temperatures in the upper 60s. we will make it into the 70's on thursday and friday. it shoul

once you've said to you, i cannot do this anymore, that's the first step. then the next step is, you've got to find out how you're going to stop and where. >> are we going to put subtitles oen that for tomorrow because i have no idea what he said. >> that's the prince of darkness. who cares what he's saying.

he's ozzy osbourne, prince of darkness, led a life of rock 'n' roll, alcohol and drugs and bats. the self-admitted hypochondriac is dispensing advice on everything from kicking bad habits to parenting and we'll hear from him tomorrow. >> you could tell jenna had no idea either, uh-huh, uh-huh. >> just go along for the ride. coming up in this half hour, grocery shopping with the self-proclaimed hungry girl, lisa lilja, lo cal but filling foods. latest trends in rain gear, hottest looks in rain boots, coats and bags to keep you dry, warm and