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MoneySmartwALEcu konrad Surprise! You can haggle on the Internet Most people assume that bargaining is best reserved for flea markets. But these days, websites that sell everything from mountain bikes to designer fash ions are willing to give shoppers big breaks if you’re smart enough to ask for one. Great wav's to haggle in cyberspace: m < Negotiating for^ v -r a better price \ can work if area ■ First, check compare snopper ‘ son shopping engines (such as Shopzilla, NexThg and mySimon) to find various sellers’ prices on a specific item. You can use this info as a bargaining chip. ■ Play favorites. Are you a loyal cus tomer of one site because it offers a good selection and free shipping? If so, then when you find that mountain bike elsewhere at a lower price, e-mail or call the site’s customer service desk. It may match the price if asked, but many sites keep mum about such poli cies to avoid lots of requests. ■ Already paid for the item, then found it cheaper? Some retailers will match a competitor’s price up to 14 days after a sale, so keep your receipts. t USA WEEKEND usaweekend.com Advertising Office 535 Madison Ave. New York. N.Y. 10022 Main Office 7950 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, Va. 22107 Telephone: 800-487-2956 E-mail: usaw@usaweekend.com For reprints, call 800-872-0001. 4 USA WEEKEND • Nov. 9-11,2007 Smart Parent By ANN PLESHETTE MURPHY Kids, manners and Thanksgiving H CHALLENGE Kids arrive cranky j Comfort is key for a lengthy car trip. Don’t dress the kids in their party clothes at home. Plan a pit stop and crumpled. j a few minutes from your destination to change, or wait until you arrive to trade PJs for petticoats. Kids either aren't hungry Schedule dinner as dose to their normal mealtime as possible. If your family's tradition is to serve or are starving when the j the Thanksgiving meal at 3or 4 p.m„ feed the kids a snack around their usual lunchtime. Tell them bird lands on the table. j they're expected to sit at the table and taste a few things even if they're not very hungry. Picky eaters exclaim "Yuckl" Forget the “clean plate dub.” Don't ruin dinner by arguing over every bite. If you're worried about at the sight of your sister's j offending the chef, tell your kids ahead of time to hold their tongues regarding the food, eat what they broccoli casserole. j want and leave the rest. Explain to your host that you have an unadventurous eater on your hands. Children are abandoned | Advocate for togetherness at the table, if you're hosting, set two tables with mixed generations, at the “kids'table.' j Ask guests to bring photos of Thanksgivings past to share with their young table mates. S Aunt Muriel comes at the kids } Don't mandate hugs and kisses. Explain to your kids that although they don't have to kiss every cousin, with her bright red lipstick. j they are expected to shake hands, maintain eye contact and smile. Sulking on the couch is not OK. Your shy child stays glued j Give siow-to-warm-up kids specific scripts and activities to use during the day. Try role playing to your lap. j ahead of time to give your child practice at breaking the ice. Arm him with a favorite board game he can V j play with his cousins. . EitSmart jorge cruise Curb that Charley horse The severity of a muscle cramp can vary from a nagging pain to an unbearable tightness that stops you dead in your tracks. Also known as a “charley horse,” the cramp is a sud den, painful, involuntary contraction of skeletal muscles. It can strike in the middle of exercise, during an athletic event or in the middle of the night. There’s no cure, but there are ways to manage and even prevent them. “Stretching of the affected muscles is an effective initial therapy for cramps,” says Javier Maquirriain, M.D., direc- President & CEO • Marcia L. Bullard Publisher • Charles Gabrielson Executive Editor & VP • Jack Curry SVP/Advertising • Rob Harrison Dir./Finance • Edward Maxwell DirJHuman Resources • Bhavna Sharma Dir./Marketing • Sonia David Dir./Research • Frank Dolcimascolo To ask any USA WEEKEND columnist a question, visit usawaakand.com. HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE In addition to fun and family togetherness, Thanksgiving can present a cornucopia of opportunities for your chil dren’s manners to fly out the window. To ensure your holi day isn’t for the birds, chart your way to better behavior: Parenting expert Ann Pleshette MURPHY is a contributing editor. HOW TO HANDLE IT Managing Editor. Brenda Turner Creative Manager Casey Shaw Senior Editors: Craigh Barboza. Pamela Brown (Make A Difference Day), Carol Clurman, Constance Kurz. Lorrie Lynch, Priscilla Totten Copy Chief: Jill Golden Copy Editor Ali Cybulski Senior Writer Dennis McCafferty Associate Editors: Michele Hatty, TJ. Walter Assistant Editor Kathy Rowings Fact Checker Elena Keith ley Editorial Assistant: Reyhaneh Fathieh Design Director Leon Lawrence 111 Art Director Pamela Taylor Associate Art Director Christina Cook Senior Photo Editor David Baratz Deputy Photo Editor Sarah Claxton Online: Amelia Stephenson Office Coordinator Troy Artis ■ / v * / Stretching can help to prevent muscle cramps during exercise or at night. tor of the High Performance National Sports Centre in Buenos Aires. - . The key to avoiding cramps / during exercise is to “prevent pre mature fatigue,” Maquirriain says, by “maintaining a well-balanced diet, including carbohydrates and electro lytes, and routinely conducting peri odic stretching.” In the case of cramp ing during exercise, he recommends stopping the activity. However, if you suffer repeated epi sodes of muscle cramping that aren't alleviated by stretching, see your doctor. It “may be a symptom of serious conditions such as diabetes or vascular problems,” Maquirriain says. C 3 Contributing Editors Pam Anderson, Ken Bums, Jean Carper, Stephen Covey, Jorge Cruise, Steve Dale, Kenneth C. Davis, Sharon Epperson, Dennie Hughes, Walecia Konrad, Lisa Ling, Lou Manfredini, Dr. Tedd Mitchell, Ann Pleshette Murphy, Cokie Roberts, Steve Roberts, Tavis Smiley, Terry Shekels FITSMAHT PHOTO JENF4FER CHEUNG. HJPfTIR Regional Directors/ Newspapers Charlie Williams Taaz Williams Lud Day v Copyright 2007 USA WEEKEND. A Gannett publication. Printed in the USA. The magazine that makes a difference.