Human Relationships

When it comes to loved ones, it’s a natural instinct to wave a price tag. What wouldn’t you pay to keep a friend or family member alive just one day? What expense wouldn’t you spare to leave an unforgettable lasting impression on grief-stricken funeral attendees? Understand that funerals are a time for mourning, but you must also be careful that your devastation doesn’t turn into financial hardship as well.

The National Funeral Directors Association said that the average US funeral costs a whopping $6,500! The AARP warns that once burial plot, flowers and other costs are factored in, that number could reach close to $10,000. However, dignified and cathartic funerals can be planned for less than $800, if the right options are considered. The first thing you should know is that funeral homes vary greatly in prices and types of services offered, so it’s smart to check around, instead of just snagging the nearest place.

Today, cremation is the choice for a third of all deaths. A 2007 survey of 170 funeral homes in Washington, found that the price for cremation ranged from $425 to over $2,800. A “direct cremation” is the least expensive and quickest way to handle the deceased, without viewings or a ceremony. A fair price for this process is around $600. Ask if the cremation includes the transport of the body, or if there will be an additional “cremation fee” (which may cost an extra $200 or so). Caskets and embalming are not necessary for the cremated. If you choose a viewing prior to cremation, you can often rent a coffin. The next question is what to do with the ashes. Some people purchase urns to keep on the mantel or pay to have the ashes set in a burial plot with a tombstone, but these can be quite expensive. Other options include: artistic pottery and keeping them at home or scattering the ashes in the ocean or on a mountain.

If you’d like a burial for your loved one, there are options to keep you out of debt. “Direct burials” bypass public viewings, embalming, cosmetology and a ceremony, moving the body quickly to the burial plot. Caskets are what really hurts many people. Metal caskets cost $2,000! Many caskets offer “special seals,” but this is generally considered wasteful, especially since no one is going to check the guarantee after several years! You can surf the web for deals on caskets, headstones and monuments that will typically ship overnight. Pine costs 5% of what the bronze or mahogany coffins cost. Sometimes people get suckered into purchasing expensive grave liners, concrete walls to keep the ground from settling or burial vaults - which are all relatively unnecessary.

A do-it-yourself memorial can often be more personal than holding the service at a funeral parlor or mortuary chapel. The important part about funerals is that friends and family can come together, remember the deceased and support each other. You can do this in a church, a house, a park club house, a restaurant or anywhere that meant something to the person. Making a photo collage is a sentimental way to commemorate the dead. Purchase some potted plants and flowers yourself, rather than arranging for elaborate bouquets from a florist.

To get help paying for funerals, you may want to join the Funeral Consumers Alliance for a small fee of $25 for a lifetime membership, which will entitle you to members-only discounts and provides you with valuable information for planning a funeral. Members very rarely spend more than $1,000, all things considered, and found it helpful to have honest people offering unbiased advice. This non-profit organization serves as a consumer watchdog to ensure that the cost of dying doesn’t bankrupt relatives who are already bereft.

By Relationships Editor

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