Funeral Service Savings

Answer 1

Sensible ways to save on funeral services.

Funeral services can be costly, and they often put an unanticipated financial demand on a grieving family. Use the listed suggestions to plan a cost-conscious, dignified funeral or memorial service.

Funeral Foresight

Prearrange funeral services with elderly or terminally ill relatives in advance of declining health. If possible, select and pay for caskets, burial plots, cremation services, and headstones over a period of years.

Help the person to make a list of music, religious elements, floral arrangements, speakers, and other details of the funeral service. Use this list to establish an estimate of how much the services will cost and who will pay for them.

Memorable Options

If possible, plan the funeral service that best honors the deceased’s wishes. A funeral held in a church generally cost less than using a funeral home.

Cremation, burial at sea, and green burials have grown in popularity, partially, because they do not require the mortuary services provided for a traditional funeral and burial.

Memorial services, without a casket, can be held in a school auditorium or other public facility with permission.

Balloon releases, memorial T-shirts, and prayer vigils cost very little; they have grown in popularity as ways to memorialize a young person.

Forgo the cost of funeral or memorial services entirely. Ask for donations to be made in the name of the deceased to his favorite charity. Or, start a scholarship fund in the name of the person to keep his memory alive for years to come.

Host a memorial open house with light refreshments. Invite immediate family and friends to attend with the expectation of sharing stories, religious sentiments, photos, and memories of the bereaved.