Nature's Domain Holistic Dog Food Now Available At Costco
What a nice surprise to find holistic dog food at my local Costco in Livermore, California...and a deal at $0.80 per pound (or $27.99 for a 35-lb. bag)! It is made by Nature's Domain Pet Foods and the flavor offered at Costco is Salmon Meal and Sweet Potato. It is a grain-free food for all life stages...similar to the Canidae dog food we have fed our dogs in the past.
We bought a bag to give it a try and will be mixing it gradually into our dogs' current food. It's always a good idea to mix foods when switching, so as to not upset their system by a sudden change in food. The first three ingredients are excellent (btw, any dog food that has by-products listed in the first three should be AVOIDED): salmon meal, sweet potatoes and peas. Yummy! :)
Market Report: Lots / Land For Sale In Ruby Hill Vineyard Estates - Livermore, CA (Alameda County, California)
There are a total of 30parcels within the Ruby Hill Vineyard Estates community in Livermore, CA that are a part of the Ruby Hill Vineyard Estates HOA. There are 14Ruby Hill Vineyard EstateLots and 16Ruby Hill Vineyard Estate Homes. As of today, November 14, 2009, there are 2 lots for sale, 0 pending sales and 5 closed sales on the MLS.
The information below was obtained via the Bay East Association of Realtors MLS and public records:
ACTIVE LISTINGS
$1,799,000 - 221 E. Vineyard Avenue, Livermore (listed 9/3/2006)
Lot #32
17.46 acres
Days on market:1099
$1,749,000 - 247 E. Vallecitos Road, Livermore (listed 9/9/2005)
Owners: Gurmeet Dhaliwal & Amrita Dhaliwal
Lot #1
19.47 acres
Loan: $650,000 (Bank of America)
Days on market:762
CLOSED SALES
$1,770,000 - 203 E. Vallecitos Road, Livermore (sold 3/4/2008)
Owners: John Pinelli & Camille Pinelli
Lot #4
22.01 acres
Loan: $950,000 (Santa Barbara Bank & Trust)
Days on market: 96
$1,600,000 - 221 E. Vineyard Avenue, Livermore (sold 6/6/2006)
Market Report: Homes For Sale In Ruby Hill Vineyard Estates - Livermore, CA (Alameda County, California)
There are a total of 30parcels within the Ruby Hill Vineyard Estates community in Livermore, CA that are a part of the Ruby Hill Vineyard Estates HOA. There are 16Ruby Hill Vineyard EstateHomes and 14Ruby Hill Vineyard Estate Lots. As of today, November 12, 2009, there are 5 homes for sale, 1 pending sale, 1 closed sale and 1 expired listing.
The information below was obtained via the Bay East Association of Realtors MLS and public records:
ACTIVE LISTINGS
$3,998,000 - 417 E. Vineyard Avenue, Livermore (listed 10/26/2009)
Owners: David Rosa & Michelle Rosa
7009 sq. ft. per MLS / 7000 sq. ft. per public records
Year built: 2008
19.41 acres
Days on market:17
$3,999,000 - 777 E. Vineyard Avenue, Livermore (listed 8/3/2006)
Previously listed as 225 Vallecitos Road, Livermore
Owners: Robert Noiles & Toby Noiles
5200 sq. ft. per MLS / 5183 sq. ft. per public record
Chevys Fresh Mex Happy Hour - Livermore, CA (Alameda County, California)
Chevys Fresh Mex in Livermore, CA is located at 4685 First Street, next to IHOP and just a stone's throw off I-580 at the First Street exit. We just went to the Pleasanton Chevys a couple of days ago (for the first time in months) and I think I caught Margarita Madness...so this afternoon, we went to the Livermore Chevys for Happy Hour! We enjoyed complimentary chips and salsa and I had three magnificent mango margaritas!
Chevys Happy Hour, Monday - Friday from 3pm to 7pm (in the cantina only)
$3 Drink Menu
Original Frozen Margaritas
Domestic Draft Beers
House Wines
Well Drinks
Seasonal Fresh Fruit Margaritas (add 25 cents) - Strawberry, Peach, Melon, Mango and the seasonal flavor, Cranberry
50% Off Appetizer Menu
Crispy Chicken Flautas - my favorite...ask for extra dipping sauce!
Red Chile Pork Taquitos - this is a yummy trio that comes with guacamole!
Original Fajita Nachos - you can order chicken, steak or combo and each chip is topped individually
Costco Holiday Hours - Livermore, CA (Alameda County, California)
The Costco warehouse in Livermore, CA is located at 2800 Independence Drive at the Airway Blvd. exit off the I-580 freeway. The Livermore Costco's official opening date was November 17, 1993 so they're coming up on their 16th anniversary! Between November 7th and December 19th, Costco has extended holiday hours as shown below:
This Costco also has a gas station with regular and premium gas prices that are the lowest prices in the area. The Costco Food Court is located inside and offers the typical selection of food items at very low prices, such as a polish sausage & soda for $1.50! Costco's chicken bake is delicious and their chicken caesar salad is large enough for two people to share. Their frozen yogurt (chocolate, vanilla or twist) is pretty good and so is their chocolate-dipped ice cream bar with nuts, which they dip when you order it!
Can I Afford It? Suze Orman Would Yell: "DENIED, DENIED, DENIED!!!"
I love watching the "Can I Afford It?" segment on the Suze Orman Show and I think I've found the ultimate "DENIED, DENIED, DENIED!!!" story. This one is truly outrageous...and sad at the same time.
This is not a typical situation of "Can They Afford To Buy This House?" but these are people who are getting ready to move into a custom home they have been building for the past 2 1/2 years, so their construction loan will be converting to a permanent loan soon.
As Suze Orman would say..."Show me the MONEY!!!" so here it is:
Annual income: $350,000 - $400,000 before taxes (he works 7 days a week as a contractor, his own business; she has no income and stays home with 3 kids 12 and under and is expecting their 4th child)
Expenses: contractor's insurance, health insurance, car payment (they bought a new SUV a year ago)
New home monthly costs: $20,000 - $25,000 monthly payment (~$3,500,000 loan amount), $3,000 - $4,000 monthly property taxes, utilities on a multi-level ~11,000 sq. ft. home (no solar system)
Savings: used to cover going over-budget on the construction of the home
History: They have been living in a 3,500 sq. ft. home that they purchased new for $639,000 10 years ago (that is how we met; I referred them as buyers) and after several refi/cash-out loans, they owed ~$1,000,000 (1st mortgage + HELOC) with a monthly payment of ~$5,000. So they are essentially going to be paying 4-5x more than what they were used to.
They tried to sell their current home a couple of years ago, but they owe more than it's worth and another agent listed it ~125% over market value. Since they couldn't sell their current home and planned on moving into their new home, they stopped making the mortgage payments (strategic default) on their current home a year ago. Now if anything happens to their new home, they won't have their old home to go back to.
Originally, they also planned on selling a couple of their investment properties (rentals in the Sacramento area) for a profit to pay down the $3,500,000 mortgage...but with the economic downturn, they stopped making the mortgage payments on those homes because they were worth less than their loan amounts. Now their $3,500,000 mortgage won't be paid down, unfortunately.
I'm no financial guru, but to me this obviously looks like the next luxury home foreclosure. With $300,000 - $350,000 per year going towards mortgage interest and property taxes, his income would barely cover that plus their living expenses. He's also in his mid-40's and as a contractor who works what I would consider hard labor, how many more years can he continue to do that for a living, working 7 days a week? How can they save up for retirement with that kind of housing/income ratio? We've mentioned this to them...it's just too bad that they are in denial.
To them, they are moving into their dream home...to me, they are walking into a nightmare.
Suze Orman would yell: "DENIED, DENIED, DENIED!!!" on keeping this home. I am sure of it.
Have any of you ever come across people like this, who simply don't want to face reality? If so, have they ever seen the light...and was it in time...or was it too late?
Livermore Downtown Halloween Carnival - Free Donuts at Donut Wheel - Livermore, CA
The Livermore Downtown Halloween Carnival took place on Wednesday, October 29, 2009 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. In previous years, Livermore Downtown Inc. hosted an annual Trick-Or-Treat Event that was open to the public, but due to its tremendous popularity (without the ability to support such numbers) and today's economic climate, they have decided to focus on the local children instead. Here is their press release announcing the new event:
"Due to the current economic climate, Livermore Downtown Inc. will no longer be hosting the annual downtown Trick-or-Treat event. In it's place, a Downtown Halloween Carnival is being planned for families with children 5th Grade and under.
"We are excited about this evolution to a local family, kid focused Carnival event." Says Board President Anthony McPeake. "The downtown Trick-or-Treat had grown over the years to an event huge in attendance and we can no longer afford to support it at the level needed to insure the safety of our attendees. Rather than cancel the tradition completely, we are reeling it back to an event that is focused on our Tri-Valley children in halloween costumes, enjoying a carnival designed just for them by our downtown merchants and Livermore business community."
This year's carnival will be made up of Carnival games and activity booths and take place on J Street and K Street between First and Second Street as well as the Livermore Valley Plaza and the Flag Pole Plaza. The Vine Center businesses will be hosting rides and activities in their back parking lot behind the Vine Cinema. Marcel Orthodontics will be recreating the Grease Carnival, complete with a mechanical fun house that will be located on K Street.
To participate, children will purchase a $5.00 fun pass that will give them access to all of the downtown activities. The fun passes may be purchased in advance at the Livermore Downtown Inc. office at 2060 Second Street. They will be available at fun pass booths in each activity location on the evening of the Carnival."
Donut Wheel, a Livermore icon located at 2017 First Street, is the mecca of Livermore for the Downtown Halloween Carnival and previous years' Trick-Or-Treat Events. Why? FREE DONUTS, that's why!
Kanpai Sushi - Livermore, California (Alameda County, CA)
After many dining experiences searching for the best sushi in the Tri-Valley (San Francisco East Bay, California), Kanpai Sushi is the winner! Kanpai Sushi is at 1510 N. Vasco Road, Livermore, CA and they're just two minutes off the 580 freeway at Vasco Road. They're located in the PW Market shopping center between Starbucks and Carl's Jr.
Kanpai Sushi serves the freshest fish and in generous portions. They also have the most magnificent nigirisushi I've ever had called "Escolar" which is Japanese for "Butterfish." The servers at Kanpai Sushi even remember our "usual" - 5 orders of escolar! Kanpai Sushi also has excellent "Sake" ("Salmon") and "Hamachi" ("Yellowtail") as well as a variety of sushi rolls. Our favorite sushi roll is called "Snow White" and it's main ingredient is...you guessed it...escolar!
The Livermore Downtown Halloween Carnival took place on 