Do you own your stuff -- or does it own you?

A recent post by software developer/blogger/VC Paul Graham is making the rounds, and is well worth a read. Graham's thesis: not only do we all have too much "stuff," but that stuff actually saps our energy: 

...Unless you're extremely organized, a house full of stuff can be very depressing. A cluttered room saps one's spirits.  One reason, obviously, is that there's less room for people in a room full of stuff.  But there's more going on than that.  I think humans constantly scan their environment to build a mental model of what's around them.  And the harder a scene is to parse, the less energy you have left for conscious thoughts.  A cluttered room is literally exhausting.

Sure, this isn't necessary a new idea. George Carlin nailed this 25 years ago, when he declared: "That's all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time." Still, Graham's post is worth a read, if only as a reminder that, before you click that "Buy" button or hand over that cash, you may not really need all that stuff.

Report: Energy prices draining consumer confidence

More bad news on the energy front: gas prices may have stabilized (for now, at least) but overall energy costs are taking more of Americans' paychecks than they have in recent years. A recent article in the Christian Science Monitor showed that over the past two years the share of income that energy bills are taking has risen and is now at its highest point since 1987. For lower-income households. energy consumption can be close to 10 percent of income.

The higher prices are also contributing to the decline of consumer confidence. Economist Mark Zandi says that Americans are resigned to the fact that the price of gasoline will remain at about the $3-a-gallon level or higher for some time and it is showing in their spending. There are concerns that consumer pessimism has reached the same level as before the recession of 2001.

And it's not just in the United States: a Daily Mail article noted that British homeowners are paying 4.4 per cent more for their electricity and gas. Correspondingly, U.K. consumers were less optimistic about the economic outlook than they were a year ago. Meanwhile, in the rest of the European Union, the average consumer has experienced a 1.5 per cent rise in energy bills and energy costs have actually gone down in some Scandinavian nations.

Reusable shopping bags get trendy

It's a sign of our increasingly eco-friendly world when substitutes for plastic grocery bags are causing a fashion revolution. Traditional plastic shopping bags will no longer be offered in San Francisco as of November 20 (only paper and bags made of cornstarch will be offered) and that move is spurring a debate around the nation on possible bans on non-biodegradable, petroleum-based plastic bags. Meanwhile, as the Chicago Tribune points out (registration required) fashionistas are doing their part by making reusable shopping bags trendy. Designers are creating chic (if sometimes pricey) options such as the $960 grocery tote from Hermes  or the $495 organic cotton bag from Stella McCartney. One of the hottest this summer is one of the more inexpensive options,  the $15 "I'm not a plastic bag" cotton tote from British designer Anya Hindmarch. This tote is so sought after that thousands of shoppers competed in a lottery to bag it. On eBay, the prized bag often goes for over $100.

More reasonable options on the cheap include the $1 Whole Foods green bags, or the Hawaiian print totes from Trader Joe's that sell for $1.99. Whatever bag you choose, match the contents to the eco-friendly exterior by shopping green. Our Eco-Labels web site can help you determine which of your favorite brands are the most environmentally friendly.

A new tool for eco-friendly shopping

Does it matter to you how environmentally sound a company is? Climate Counts, a nonprofit organization funded by the yogurt company Stonyfield Farm hopes so.The New York Times reports (registration required) that the organization has released a scorecard that ranks 56 consumer companies on their environmental friendliness. They evaluated how companies measure greenhouse gas emissions, how to they plan to reduce them and how they disclose their activities.

On a scale of 100, no company achieved perfection. Four companies, Canon, Nike, Unilever and I.B.M., scored 70 or better. Stonyfield Farm itself only got a 63 and its parent company, Groupe Danone, scored 50. And consider the case of Coke versus Pepsi: Coca-Cola scored 57 to PepsiCo’s 26.

Will this information affect consumer choice? Certainly companies that rank high are hoping that consumers will feel positively about the news. Companies such as Amazon.com, which scored a lowly zero because Climate Counts researchers could not find information about the company's role in climate change, are less thrilled with the report. An Amazon.com spokeperson questioned the work of the researchers, noting that Amazon's Web site includes information on the company's recycling programs.  Climate Counts has promised that the scorecard will be updated as new information comes in and a new one will be released each year. The hope is that the scorecard will inspire companies to do the right thing when it comes to the environment. 

If making more eco-friendly choices matters to you, Climate Counts is not the only resource. Our Greener Choices Web site offers helpful information on everything from choosing the most energy-efficient air conditioner to how to recycle your old electronics.  Our Eco-Labels site is a guide to informed shopping that that lets you search by label to find products that are earth smart, vegan or a wide variety of other categories.

Will gas prices affect shopping and travel?

As gas prices continue to fluctuate from wallet-pinching highs to into the nearly bearable range, analysts are trying to determine how  much is the increase in gas pricing has an influence on consumer spending. A recent survey from the National Retail Foundation shows that over 42 percent of people surveyed feel that the gas prices will have an impact on spending over the July 4th holiday. This number is down from the nearly 47 percent reported last year but still worrisome news for retailers and those in the travel business. More than 11 percent said they will travel over the holiday but many feel that staying closer to home is a good way to save money.

Some data from other sources conflict with these findings. A survey by AAA showed that higher gas prices won't cause people to change their travel plans and that in fact travel will be slightly up over the summer. Some people may cut back on spending but won't cancel their vacations. A press release from the Travel Industry Association showed that vacationers are planning 1.8 percent more trips this summer than last year and gas prices would have to hit a painful $3.50 a gallon before they would consider changing travel plans. In fact, a national survey done by AAA before Memorial Day showed that even though gas prices were up 14 cents per gallon over last year, travel by car was on the rise. The good news is that hopefully the lower trend in gas prices is expected to last through July.

Related: Get updated gas price info from the CR Car Blog