How to Pick Out a Casket at a Funeral Home
Choosing a casket following the death of a loved one can be both emotionally and financially taxing. Some brand name caskets have mark-ups as high as 1,600 percent. While it is important to honor your loved one and feel at peace with your decisions, it is just as important to pick a casket that is within your price range. Often, those losing a loved one are also losing an additional household income. Fortunately, you do not need to pick out the most expensive casket to respectfully put your loved one to rest.
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Instructions
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Bring someone who is not emotionally distraught with you to the funeral home. You need a level-headed person who will not be swayed by persuasive sales talk or bent-to-manipulate emotional triggers at a time when you are most vulnerable.
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Make a list of your funeral arrangement needs before going to the funeral home. Write down your budget and use it as a reference when choosing the casket type and linings. If your loved one will have a viewing before interment, this will also enter into your decision process.
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If you plan on a viewing, decide if you would like a one- or two-hinged casket, which will either reveal the entire body or just the upper half. Make notes on the style of casket you have in mind -- wood grain, such as mahogany or oak, or a fiberglass or steel casket. The type of lining can greatly increase the price and change the appearance.
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If you are short on cash, consider casket rentals. This may be an option if your loved one will be cremated shortly after the memorial service and you have no real need of a casket or if you cannot afford a more expensive model, but would like one at the viewing. The less expensive casket is simply slipped into the frame of a more ornate one during the viewing and later removed for burial purposes.
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Ask for full disclosure on all pricing before signing any paperwork. A federal ruling passed in 1984 states that funeral directors must provide a complete itemized list of prices for all services, including body preparation, caskets and other related costs. They are not allowed to add fees if you rent or purchase a casket elsewhere or force you to buy a casket if the body will be cremated.
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Ask to see caskets and liners in a variety of price ranges. It is possible to find a casket for as little as $1,000 or as much as $10,000. You may be surprised to learn that many caskets look just as lovely for half the price.
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Consider going green. Earth-friendly, biodegradable caskets are sometimes interred in parks or gardens, rather than cemeteries. Funeral expenses are less costly, as are the caskets.
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Tips & Warnings
Not all funeral home personnel may attempt to bump up the price, but keep in mind they are in the business to make money.
Do not allow the funeral director to manipulate you into buying a casket that 'protects your loved one.' No casket will protect a body, including sealer caskets, which can actually speed up the decomposition process.
It is against the law for funeral homes to require any goods or services be purchased as a condition of any part of your purchase.
