it is now setting its sites on the bahamas. southeastern united states may be next. we expect it to become a category 3 storm later today. it's been three years since a hurricane has made landfall in the u.s. that was ike back in 2008, in southeastern texas. we're keeping an eye on this one. >> precautions to take. >> lightning strike, it is believed, from irene who sparked this huge fire at the home of richard branson in the caribbean. they say it was like a hollywood movie. kate winslet, the actor, who was staying there with her family, actually saved branson's 90-year-old mother from the flames. we'll have a lot more on what happened. >> amazing. and then in "today's" money, going paperless. if you're nervous about getting all of your bank statements e-mailed to you or paying your bills online, we'll tell you why it's not only good for the environment, but it also could actually save you some money. and then speaking of money, guess who is here? jill martin. "steals and deals" today, from bedding as you see there, and skin care and jewelry. jill has all the deals. she'll tell us all about it coming up in a few minutes. >> too many pillows. >> right there. >> really? >> all around. that will be after we hear from the news and natalie morales at the news desk. hey, natalie. >> good morning once again. good morning, everyone. for the first time in nearly three years a hurricane is threatening to make landfall here in the u.s. and hurricane irene is gaining strength today as it turns to the caribbean. nb nbcl's lilia luciano is in the path. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, natalie. the ba ma'hamas has not seen a strong like this in six years and gearing up for what could be a category 3 hurricane to hit us some point this morning or tomorrow. irene is raking through the caribbean, in puerto rico it dropped ten inches of rain, flooding streets, tearing up trees and knocking out power to more than a million people. >> bigger than your average size hurricane. >> reporter: the storm is picking up strength in the warm atlantic water. under hurricane warnings the dominican republic and neighboring haiti where heavy rain could be devastated for the 600,000 still homeless since last year's earthquake. weather experts say the hurricane is now headed straight for the bahamas and on to the u.s., potentially targeting florida, georgia, and the carolinas. >> hurricane irene is forecast to become at least a category 3 hurricane and maintain that status and could be even higher than that as it makes an approach to a potential landfall somewhere in the southeast u.s. >> along the eastern coast many are already stocking up to stay safe. >> a lot of everything basically. watt water, nonperishable food, flashlig flashlight, batteries. >> reporter: he picked up a list on google, hoping it will get him through his first hurricane season in florida. >> this one really looks like it's coming. >> reporter: preparing to secure his grnandmother's roof, he say you can never be too cautious. hurricane andrew changed lives and attitudes. >> i was not prepared in andrew. it was tough. now i don't even wait. i go and grab what i need. >> reporter: expert or rookie, surviving a hurricane means thinking ahead and not taking chances. so what to do if you are in irene's path, make sure to plan ahead of time. keep an emergency kit with enough water, food, and medicine for at least three days. keep your gas tank full. if you're in an area that is told to evacuate, make sure that you listen. natalie? >> good advice. thank you, lilia. forces loyal to home garr da daffy aren't giving up today. they are in tripoli again this morning, especially around gadhafi's compound and his son made a surprise appearance today telling reporters that loyalists loyia his father. he was thought to be under arrest. meantime, they have no idea where moammar gadhafi is hiding. a top navy captain is fighting to save his career today. can tan owen honors was yanked from command earlier this year after raunchy videos surfaced that was shot onboard. he helped to produce and star in them and said they were made to improve moral. they begin to hear arguments today on whether he should stay in the navy. important health news. number of americans complaining about failed hip replacements is skyrocketing, according to the "new york times." the fda received thousands of complaints of all metal hips failing after years of use. it's the most common procedure in the u.s. and baseball players come out of game for a lot of reasons but here is one you probably never heard of before. st. louis cardinals outfielder matt holiday had to leave a game on monday night when a moth flew into his ear and he couldn't get it out. trainers actually had to use tweezers eventually to remove it. pretty unbelievable. six minutes past the hour. let's get another check of the weather from al. there's one you haven't heard of, al, right? >> never heard of that one. let's see the latest on hurricane irene. right now 70 miles south southeast of grand turk island. category 2 storm. probably become a 3 later today. 100-mile-per-hour winds. moving west northwest at ten miles per hour. you can see we've got hurricane warnings and watches up from santa domingo up to the bahamas. we've got hurricane watches in effect. and this system makes its way in parallels the florida coast as a category 3 storm. maybe even a 4 sometime thursday into friday. makes landfall sometime late saturday into early sunday. and it could be devastating. again, coming onshore as a category 3 storm. you can see the tropical storm force winds extend out quite a distance from the center of the storm. so as it makes its way along the florida coastline, they will be feeling its effects. that's what's going on around the counro >> it is a beautiful start this tuesday. kind of feels like autumn to start the day. mostly sunny skies. high temperatures an time now for "today's" money, saving some green by going green. going paperless, coupons and credit card offers not only cuts down on clutter but, believe it or not, can actually help you save some cash. carmen is the personal finance expert and the author of "the real cost of living." good to see you. >> good morning, al. >> i understand saving paper. how does it save you cash? >> here's the thing, when you automate things and have things living on the cloud, your e-mail, for example, it really can save you money because it can help you do things like make sure you pay your bills on time, have things for tax time. it adds up. >> you say, first of all, you want to stop getting paper receipts. are we talking about receipts at stores? >> when you go to a store and you get this receipt, what if you need to exchange or return something, what if you lose it? ask for an e-receipt. apple is one of the first retailers to do this. send you an e-mail receipt. now gap, anthropology, nordstrom, old navy, they all do this. you can always find that receipt and come tax time, 40% of americans make money on their own outside their employer, tax reductions. you have all of your receipts in one place. >> what if you don't want to give out your personal e-mail? >> here's the thing. do what i do. create another e-mail. so you give them another e-mail so you don't get slogged with a lot of junk mail from retailers and have it all in one place. >> is there software that will help you aggregate this stuff and keep track of it? >> especially i'm hs if you have it in one spot in terms of that new e-mail. you can go in there and see all of your receipts, put them all together. there is some tracking that's coming soon, but just have them online. don't lose them. >> you also say say no to paper coupons. >> yes. the number one reason they don't use coupons anymore, i don't have them with me, i forget them. here's the thing. coupon has an app now on the iphone coming soon for the blackberry android where you can have them all with you in realtime. you can be shopping around and put in an item, coupons will just pop up. you go to the register and hand them your phone. it's either a scannable coupon or a code that they enter. >> wow. also, you want to say no to catalogs and credit card offers. >> i know this one wrangles you. right? >> i'm getting catalogs anyway. >> any time we buy anything online, et cetera, there's always this trail. someone buys the list. catalogchoice.org is where you can go to opt out of the catalogs and you get all of these offers for a new credit cards or balance transfers and all those things, go to optoutprescreen.com and it will stop other solicitations, as well. you have to go every year but it's helpful. it's a temptation. you can get an offer and use it on the spot instead of shopping around like you should, or catalog shopping instead of shopping around, i love that let me do that. it will save you from doing that. >> by all means, avoid the credit card offers. >> listen, you want to shop around. you don't want to just see it, let me sign up. shop around online first. >> what about paper bills and statements? >> okay. i know some of us already do this with your banking. we bank online. get our monthly statements online. i can't tell you how helpful it is to have all of this online. utility, cell phone, landline, internet, cable, all of these folks offer paperless statements and paperless bills. sign up. you can sign up for automated bill pay. you save if you are late on a bill and, like you said, you can sort and search at the end of the year come tax time, huge safings. >> everything is there for you. >> right there on the cloud. >> on the cloud. thanks so much. >> thanks. still to come, setting back the clock. we're going to check out the best foods to make you look and feel younger. but up next "steals and deals." the stealer and dealer jill martin is back. r wanted it to end. well, hey, at least the pasta's never ending. really? yeah, you choose your pasta, choose your sauce, as many times as you want! a dish i create and it's never ending. i'm in! i'm in! the never ending pasta bowl is back. for just $8.95 try new sauces like roasted mushroom parmesan and hearty pizzaiola meat. enjoy any sauce and pasta combination, then try others. have all you want along with our unlimited fresh salad and warm breadsticks all for just $8.95. try it tonight at your olive garden. when you're here, you're family. i usually work alone... don't mind him. chocolate's just got a chip on his shoulder. [ female announcer ] new quaker chewy smashbar. kid-loved ingredients, smashed together. with 33% less sugar than the leading sweet snacks. for his dentist, the choice is clear. fact is, more dental professionals brush with an oral-b toothbrush than any other brush. trust the brush more dentists and hygienists use, oral-b. ♪ ♪ i like dat, all right [ male announcer ] mio. a revolutionary water enhancer. add a little...or a lot. for a drink that's just the way you like it. make it yours. make it mio. for a drink that's just the way you like it. hey. hey mom! what is this? it's a special paste i invented to replace socks. why? because we can't find socks that shape to our feet. we're sick of it! try hanes socks with the smooth comfort toe seam. a better fit your whole family will love. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. good job girls. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. good job girls. you've been there. you pick out a makeup thinking it's your shade... until you actually try it out. now, i have a makeup that always gets it right. smart shade makeup instantly adjusts to match perfectly to your skin. almay smart shade makeup. only from almay. only for me. this morning on jill's steals and deals, high style products and very low prices. discounted exclusively for you, our "today" show viewers. "today" and "us weekly" author is here. some 85% off. good morning. >> good morning. >> again, how does this work? >> i feel like everyone has been involved because i'm getting tons of tweets, please offer this, please offer this. if you haven't done this, here's how it works. go on to today.com right now and all of these retailers have brought us these deals that you can have up to 85% off. and we'll link you to the retailer's website. but we only have a certain amount of each item so you have to act quickly. >> and be patient as well because sometimes it takes a while getting through. >> exactly. >> the first couple of items. this is great if you're looking to give your bedroom a new makeover. you can check out these queen and king comforter sets by sl home fashions. as you see, they're offering five different designs in a variety of colors from serenity embroidered collection. what exactly comes with the whole set here? >> we love this for fall. it always makes us start fresh. the retail of these, $299 to $439. it comes in queen or king. available in five desipsgndesig. eight-piece set, comforter, three shams, three decorative pillows and one bed skirt. >> the bed is made up here. >> sold at macy's. retail, $299 to $349. the deal is $60. that's up to 83% off. >> that is great. fantastic. looks beautiful. hi quality as well. now, we also have another comforter set to offer today, as well, again, by sl home fashions. this one is for kids. >> going off to college, perfect. the dorm room. >> and back to school. why love about these, they're reversible. if you spill something on one side you flip it to the other side. $125, available in twin or queen. all dimensions stated clearly on the website. comes in four different styles. again, reversible. the comforter and sham combo, same for this. i want to point out the shipping on these, really large items. test the shipping. may be a little higher for this. it's because the other is so low. make sure you ship it before you bite it -- check the retail. retail, 125. deal, $25. 80% off. >> great. look good in a dorm. give it lots of color. >> let's move on to jewelry. best-sellers for us. you have these beautiful bracelets. very trendy right now. i know a lot of celebrities really love these and layering them up is better, right? >> right. huge with celebrities. these, retail for $200. offering nine styles made with semi precious and natural stones, including jade, amethyst, turquoise, and onyx. these are great for men and women. you will see some men with on two or three. i put them on stacked to show you what they looked like. $200. deal is 29$29. great gift. they come in these cute little pouches. >> i was thinking how great that is for a gift right now. perfect. thank you. over here, let's do some skin care. this is new for us. one of our favorites around here. products from philosophy. >> these are going to fly. you can always judge from the studio and our producers saying i can't believe we have this. >> right. >> if you want hope in a jar, we have that for you. >> we're going to do it. >> retail, $127. this includes five full-size products. hope in a jar, as you said, best-selling moisturizer. one-step facial cleanser, exfoliating wash, retina eye treatment and pink tinted lip treatment. katherine heigl, miley cyrus. the retail, again, $127 for the bundle. the deal, $31.75. that's 75% off. again. >> best-sellers. these are, yeah, full-size products. >> awesome deal. >> great deal. all right. fantastic. let's go over here, handbags. look at these. how gorgeous they are. made of rich, ultrasuede. >> right. i think everyone is shopping now for a fall bag. well, here you go. retail, $245. comes in two styles. the fringe bag which is hanging right here, and then the studded bag in camel or charcoal. rich suede. look at the we detail and the hardware. several fans are the kardashians, selma blair. the retail is $245. the deal, $58. that's 76% off. $58. pockets inside for everything. love it. >> beautiful. okay. guys, we have something for you, too, today. >> right. >> we love this. we love this. okay. speaker system for your iphone, ipad by i home, actually charges it as well. >> retail, $199.99. has the latest in sound technology. charges and plays device while docked. the av jack, the video from ipad or iphone to tv. you can play the videos that's on your ipad or iphone and put it on your tv. great if you have a movie for your kids. retail, $199.99. the deal, $75. that's 62% off. >> fantastic. this will go quickly as well. as always, jill martin, you brought us real best-sellers here. thank you. all right. five products for you, comforter by sl home fashions, the bracelets by mon ami, beauty products by philosophy, handbag and speaker system by i home. just head to our website today.com. if you do have any questions about the products or want to know more, jill will be answering on twitter at the today show. mean why, coming up, secrets to looking younger. but first, these messages. also get a free flight. you know that comes with a private island. really? 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[ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a 5-dollar coupon. i'm home. [ kids ] hi mom. [ male announcer ] of all the things that happen on your shiny surfaces, disinfecting has to be one of them. clorox disinfecting wipes. kills germs. dries clear. vine-ripened tomatoes and real italian seasoned meat. the food got famous. and soon, so did the chef. hello, i am chef boyardee. quality ingredients no preservatives still in every bowl. you're working out while watching us right now, this guy might make you want to work a little bit harder. >> that's right. extra motivation because he's a two-time iron man world champion and the author of a new book "i'm here to win," world champion advice from chris mccormack. >> good to see you. how are you? >> you don't have to be an iron man to really get involved in this triathlon. al is starting to train for one. i have been doing th