Conquering the Hoarder in You

I currently have 6 tubes of toothpaste in my linen closet/'good buy' overflow area.
I have 10 bottles of shampoo or conditioner
I have 8 bars of soap
I have 3 boxes of dishwasher tablets
I have 8 bottles of dish detergent
I have 6 extra toothbrushes

"But, but, but I got them on sale, and I used coupons."

Does this sound like you? If so, then you too my ,friend, are a hoarder. Now, it's not as bad as it sounds. I know you got a mental picture of yourself being lost in your house full of tubes of toothpaste and dish detergent that you got on sale. It's not like that. It just means you have a hard time passing up a good buy. I know the feeling, as evidenced by the previous list.

I have told myself that unless one of these items are free, I will not be buying anymore for a LONG time.

I have some advice for you:
Remember that you have a budget, but it doesn't need to all be spent. That budget is just a number that you don't want to go over. Whatever you don't use can be saved. I know some of you are thinking, "duh! This is common sense." But I really had to remind myself of this fact. Just because you have a certain amount of money to spend, doesn't mean you HAVE to spend it. Ask yourself if you really need this item, even if it is only $2.00. If you have 12 of the same item at home, chances are you don't really need it. Just say no. It might be hard at first, but I hope it will get easier.

By not buying these items, I'm hoping to save at least $20 a week, and that I will put towards my son's birthday party in May. We'll see how it goes.