I think I will go ahead and get all of the things on my list this year rather than waiting for my savings to hit a certain level because of the sales tax hike. I have things like furniture, rugs, miscellaneous furnishings and clothes on my list. Since interest rates are so low, I really wouldn't be costing myself anything by lowering my bank account balances, so why not get it all done now and avoid the 1/4% hike next year? Seems like it makes sense to me, even if I don't feel very comfortable spending such a large sum in such a short time.
Perhaps making up for some of this with housing prices. At least those who own homes. '....if you are a home buyer, the prices are higher now than they were a year ago....an average of 16% higher. '
If people think like this ("I won't buy because of the higher taxes") then wait until next year when sales start going down and vendors lower prices to move merchandise. You'd probably save more money!
That's part of what prompted this thread. I don't hear of anybody buying now to avoid higher taxes later. The higher taxes are self-imposed, it was voted for by the majority of Californians. Perhaps they simply don't mind paying a higher sales tax.