Has anyone else quietly accepted that one grocery store doesn’t cut it anymore? I live in Astoria and my closest store is fine for a missing ingredient or a late-night quart of milk, but the shelf-stable markup is getting hard to ignore. So now I do two stops most weeks: the local place for a handful of fresh things I’m going to use that day, and a bigger store near Queens Plaza or sometimes Trader Joe’s for pantry staples, coffee, oats, olive oil, canned beans, and frozen fruit.

What I’m trying to figure out is whether the second stop actually saves money once you factor in the extra walk or bike ride, the time, and the fact that every bigger store seems designed to make me pick up a bag of something I didn’t plan for. I’ve started keeping a strict list and I only bring a tote, not a basket, but even then the savings can be a wash if I come home with one unnecessary snack.

For people who do this regularly: which categories do you buy at the second store, and which do you just leave to the bodega or corner market? Also, do you have a routine that keeps it from becoming a half-day errand? I don’t mind the exercise, but I’m not trying to turn Saturday into a logistics job.

Would love to hear from anyone who has a system or gave up on the second stop entirely.

I’m with you on the two stop life, mostly for shelf-stable stuff and frozen berries. The bodega is great when you need a roll of paper towels or one onion at 10 p.m., but you’re paying for the lights being on. My rule is: if it can sit in the cabinet for a month, buy it at the big store. Produce I don’t overthink. The fruit stand on my corner beats the supermarket half the time anyway, especially for whatever’s in season.

The real killer is the impulse aisle. I don’t bring a basket if I can avoid it. I use a granny cart and I keep a list in my notes app. If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t go in the cart. Sound dumb but it works.

One other thing: split a few staples with a roommate or neighbor if you can. Buying a giant bag of rice or oats alone in a small kitchen is annoying, but two people can finish it.

Okay I’m brand new here and I went to one store thinking I could just get everything and it was so expensive and stressful. I didn’t realize two stores was normal. Do you carry all of it home? I don’t have a cart yet and my walk is about ten minutes but with bags it’s rough. Also I tried the second stop thing and ended up buying a fancy granola I didn’t need. How do you not do that?

Is a granny cart worth it? I feel so uncool but everyone on the street has one.

@DykerNewbie — yes, the cart is worth it, and nobody is looking at you. I resisted for years and finally bought one with decent wheels after a bag ripped on the walk back from the store. The only thing I’d say is get one that folds up and doesn’t tip when you hit a crack in the sidewalk. Mine lives behind the door and doubles as a laundry hauler.

@Gowanus_G is right about produce. I actually split the difference: I buy bananas, garlic, and anything leafy at the corner place because I’m bad at using up big bags of spinach before it slimes. The second store works best for me when I stick to these categories:

• Worth the second stop: oats, coffee, olive oil, canned beans, frozen fruit, rice, pasta, peanut butter, dish soap.
• Not worth it: milk, bread, eggs if you have a bodega that prices them okay, and most impulse snacks.

I also gave myself a rule: the second stop has to replace a trip I was already making, not be an extra one. So I go when I’m already near the train station or on my way back from the gym. That way the time doesn’t feel wasted. If I make a special trip, I inevitably buy something I don’t need to justify the effort.

The other thing that helped? I keep a small running list on my phone that’s split by store. If it’s not on the right store’s list, it doesn’t come home. Not because I’m a robot, but because the minute I start “just checking if they have the cheaper olive oil,” I’m in the snack aisle.

Yup, the running store-by-store list is the move. I use a notes app with two headings so I don’t end up at the corner store buying a can of beans for twice what I’d pay at the big place.

Only disagreement: I avoid the big store’s frozen aisle unless I know exactly what I’m grabbing. That place is a museum of “treat yourself” decisions with a long receipt.

Also, re: carts, don’t get the cheap wire one. You’ll hate every single block. Get one with a solid base and swivel wheels if you can.

Thanks @astoria_arch and @Gowanus_G! I got a folding cart from the hardware store and did my first two-store trip yesterday. The cart was actually kind of great, felt weirdly adult. I didn’t buy the granola this time because I had the phone list. Saved maybe a little bit but also my arms feel much better.

One more question: where do you keep all the extra pantry stuff in a tiny kitchen? I live in a Dyker Heights studio and my cabinets are already full. Do you just keep the oats under the bed or do I need to accept that some things will live on the counter?