I was a loyal Trader Joe’s shopper for 13 years. But after switching careers and taking a pay cut, Aldi’s value won me over.

A friend of mine told me she started shopping at Aldi after leaving her lucrative job at a bank to teach middle-school math. She said Aldi had the best deals and was a favorite among her teacher friends who wanted lower-cost items that were still high quality.

So once I made my career switch, I did the same.

Three weeks ago, I grabbed my Trader Joe’s totes and headed to Aldi to pick up olive oil, lemons, and coffee.

At first, I was a little lost. I needed a quarter just to use my shopping cart, and there wasn’t anyone in a bright floral shirt I could ask for help finding things. Overall, my Aldi seemed to have a more limited staff.

But it wasn’t long before I found the lemons.

Although the products weren’t displayed with quirky signage like at Trader Joe’s, the bare-bones set-up still had a huge variety of produce.

As I continued to scan the aisles, I was pleasantly surprised by the plethora of organic products available at Aldi for a reasonable price.

Even the generic-brand coffee cups I found were fair-trade certified, 100% Arabica, and organic. They were also cheaper than what I’d been buying before.

After eyeing my receipt, I was an immediate Aldi convert

I was loyal to Trader Joe’s for over a decade, but after one shopping trip, I’m an Aldi convert.

So far, I’ve returned to the store five times in one month. My weekly cart of quality meats, fish, fruits, and vegetables has been ringing up at only $100 — a feat I haven’t achieved anywhere else.