We propose a new budget-based clustering algorithm for self-organizing networks. The basic idea behind our solution is that nodes first sense the environment using inherent Hello packets before starting forming clusters. In contrast with previous solutions that blindly distribute the budget to nearby nodes, our potential-based clustering algorithm applies a proportional budget distribution based on the connectivity degree of the nodes. This approach matches the principle that nodes in real networks are not uniformly distributed. Our simulation results show that the proposed approach outperforms previous ones.