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What Burial Expenses Should I Expect From A Funeral?

Sadly, dying is an expensive business, there are no two ways about it, and while there’s definitely no such thing as a “cheap” funeral, there are some optional extras which really do increase the cost quite dramatically. Just think about it this way, every dollar saved on the funeral is more money for your family to spend on the party afterwards!

Burial and Funeral Expenses – Let’s go through a few of them and see which ones can be left out!

  • Viewing/visitation – if this is how you want to be remembered then that’s fine, but if you’d rather your loved ones remember you without the wooden box surround – then it really isn’t necessary. Some people find viewings a great comfort, others only go because they feel that they ought to and end up wishing they hadn’t. Which category are you. (It does add quite considerably to the cost)
  • Embalming – another costly addition to the burial expenses which is really only necessary if you are having viewings (see above) or if the funeral is going to take place a considerable amount of time after death. If you chose a direct cremation, for example, all embalming expenses will be waived.
  • Dressing – again, only necessary if people are going to be visiting you before the funeral. Some people choose rather expensive funeral robes whereas others prefer to be buried in a favorite outfit (I knew a lady who requested to be buried in her red fleecy pajamas so that she would be nice and comfortable for all time)
  • Hearse – you can’t really get away from this one, unless you have a big wheelbarrow!
  • Grave liner – some grave liners are more expensive than others. Some cemetaries have rules and regulations about which grave liners they will or will not accept. You will need some type of grave liner but not necessarily the most expensive!
  • Headstone – again, there are expensive headstones and there are less expensive headstones (I won’t say cheap because that would be going too far)! If you want a life-sized marble Angel Gabriel forever blowing his heavenly horn over your grave – be prepared to pay for it.
  • Opening and closing the grave – there’s no getting away from this one. I don’t think they’d take kindly to you arriving with your own pick and shovel, grave digging is a professional business!
  • Make-up – again, this is part of the old “embalm or not to embalm issue”. You don’t need make-up to get into heaven!
  • Caskets – like everything else in life, you gets what you pays for. Some hardwood caskets (mahogany etc) are pretty expensive, but some of the soft wood options (for example pine) are much cheaper. They won’t last as long but, think about it, does it really matter?

Let’s think about this rationally, who is the funeral for? Who is going to enjoy it the most? Who is going to remember it and talk about it for years? Not you! If you do have specific wishes, talk about them openly with your family and don’t forget to ask them what they want! It doesn’t take an expensive funeral to reflect how much you loved somebody, remember that.

Things to Think About

  • Ask your family what they would like at your funeral – they’ll be the ones attending after all.
  • If you make a plan make sure that everybody knows what it is.
  • If you decide that cremation is the answer, sign the permit in good time (they won’t do it until you’re really dead – not on purpose anyway)
  • Hold the memorial service in a special place of yours. It doesn’t have to be in church, it can be in a park or at home.
  • Don’t leave all of the planning to the funeral home, do some of it yourselves
  • Why not donate your body to medicine? It’s just a thought!
  • Direct cremation and scattering of the ashes is probably the cheapest option and can still be memorable.
  • An immediate burial without visitations or embalming is definitely the cheapest burial option.
  • Use your favorite outfit instead of expensive burial clothes (didn’t I say that already?)
  • Don’t use the first funeral home you find, shop around a bit and you might save a few bucks.

Most people who are searching online for final expense insurance don’t realize that funeral insurance is essentially a type of life insurance. A very inexpensive way to obtain quality final expense insurance is to get multiple free final expense insurance quotes.

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Final Expense insurance (aka funeral insurance) is a basic issue life insurance policy that covers people until they reach 100 years old. Final Expense insurance (also known as funeral insurance) is promoted as a way to pay in advance for your funeral expenses so that your loved ones won’t have to pay for your funeral. There are many things you can do to make your death easier on the wallets of those you love. Preplanning your funeral saves money and grief, as well as deciding whether you want to be buried in a casket or cremated and put into and urn, figuring out who gets what part of your estate and all the related turmoil associated with the end of life.

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