How to Save Money on a Funeral
According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average funeral in the U.S. Costs $6,500 or more. It is not hard to spend $10,000 to $15,000 on what seems like a modest funeral. However, you can save thousands on a funeral with a little planning and information.
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Instructions
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Plan ahead, if possible. Planning a funeral ahead of time is going to save you the most money. You will have time to comparison shop and find the best deals. Plots and other more expensive funeral standards can be purchased ahead of time, saving money. Of course, it is not always possible to plan ahead, but that does not mean you cannot save money in other ways.
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Consider cremation as an alternative to burial. Cremations cost much less than a standard burial. It is still standard to have a memorial service when there is a cremation. The deceased body is just present in the urn instead of a coffin. A cremation can cost as little as $1,000.
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Shop around for your casket. You do not have to buy your casket from the funeral home. In fact, the markup on caskets in some funeral homes is 1000 percent! Search the Internet for casket stores. You will save thousands and they will even deliver the casket to the funeral home for you. Some major metropolitan areas have casket or coffin stores that sell directly to the consumer. It is worth checking out other options to pay less than half of what you would pay at a funeral home.
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Go easy on the flowers as they can increase expense. Do not be tempted to buy tons of flowers to decorate for the funeral. Try to scale it back. Remember that well wishers will be sending flowers also. If the service is held in a church, there will most likely already be large plants and arrangements there for use.
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Do not buy a package. Look out at the funeral home. What seems like a great deal might not be so great. Avoid big package deals that include a lot of unnecessary items. If a vault liner a requirement at your cemetery? It might not be needed. Do you really need to pay $40 for thank you notes when you can stop by the store and get them for $10? If you do decide to go with a package, make sure they have itemized the value so you what everything costs.
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Do not buy new clothes for burial. The most expensive thing you could do is buy a full outfit from a funeral home. A good alternative is to bury the deceased in his or her favorite outfit or something similar that people will associate with them. Buying a brand new outfit at a department store will save money over buying something at the funeral home.
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Tips & Warnings
Some places may make you purchase a new coffin in which to perform the cremation. Ask for an alternative cremation container. It is a very heavy cardboard and will save you hundreds or thousands of dollars.
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Comments
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I am facing the reality recently (for some reason) that my sweet Mom and intrepid Dad (if I don't go first, of course) will soon be passing — and I do not know what to do about burial expenses. My Dad never carried any life insurance, and neither had any policy through AARP and basically seem to have made no provisions. They will leave no money and no property to work with when they pass, and I do not have any either. What do I do, a barbeque and invite Idi Amin? Sorry, I have a dark sense of humor. Any ideas out there?
