AMSTERDAM, N.Y. -- If you've found it a little bit harder to squeeze your lunch box into the office fridge these days, there may be good reason.

"Before I was probably buying three or four times a week and now I’m bringing it three or four times a week and only buy maybe once," Karen Rafalik said.

With many of us trying to stretch more and more out of the dollars we have, we're all looking for ways to be a little more frugal and the little brown bag is becoming a more popular option.

Students at Amsterdam high have long bagged their mid-day meal. Bill Nelson says he's starting to see more teachers stick around during lunch. Not only are more faculty members packing lunches, he says he's seeing a big difference in what they're bringing.

"It's a lot less of the 'oh I went out last night and this is my leftovers,' and they've got pasta primavera from some place or something like that. No, it's much more your mundane leftovers from home," Nelson said.

But then there are those who no matter how high prices climb, say they won't stop going out.

"I like variety, I like to stop by and catch ever strikes my fancy," one woman said.

That's music to the ears for popular lunch spots.

Subway has seen a small decline in the lunch crowd, but managers thank a popular promotion for keeping sales afloat.

"We have slowed down, due to gas and everything, but with the $5 foot longs, it's actually helped us out a lot," manager Patty Bedell said.

While some have turned to value meals, others are changing their morning routine to fill the fridge at work as it's becomes more and more expensive to do the same thing at home.