Buried In Debt: Saving Up For Funeral Expenses Before Death Comes

By Luisa Battle

The expenses at a funeral are serious matters. For the mourning family, the death of a loved one is not the only thing to cause sorrow, but also the price of the funeral, no matter how they wish they could contain it.

The cost usually includes funeral services such as preservation of the body or embalming, rental of chairs, tables plus the funeral home as the venue, flower arrangements, transport, food and beverage at the wake and other supplies needed. The vault, headstone and someone to administer the entombment go into the preparation list as well.

The expense can really be a great burden for families who are already suffering from the pain of loss. There are ways to bring down the expenses and still honor or pay respect to your departed loved one.

1. Plan ahead to save. Prearranged funerals save you resources and bring down your family's stress and emotional tension. Many people decide on preparing ahead for their own funeral or the funeral of their loved one and start saving money. The tension on making financial decisions at the funeral will also be minimized. If you can afford it, hold it at a funeral home of your choice. Most of the time, if you pay it ahead, you will surely be proposed with a much lower cost.

2. Get your own officiator. Ask a minister pastor, priest or a family member who you personally know to take care of the services. It is better to have an officiator who knows you personally so he can share special insights and make the funeral memorable.

3. Consider cremation. It is widely chosen as alternative to a traditional funeral because it is cheaper. Apart from the fact that it won't take much time, several members of the family or your friends may want to keep ashes with them, bury or sprinkle it somewhere - with cremation, these personal rituals are possible. Ashes can also be very meaningful to loved ones. Cremation also spares families from paying for the expenses on caskets, a burial plot and other entombment fees .

4. Limit viewing time. Fixing the viewing time at the wake can meaningfully cut down funeral prices. If you selected cremation or if the viewing is kept short, it might not be obligatory for the body to be embalmed - depending on sanitation and health rules. Unless of course other family members or relatives would still want to take enough time to say goodbye to the departed loved-one for the last time, then burial time can be stretched.

5. Conduct the funeral at your house. The rent for a funeral home is charged daily so you may want to clear out a room in your house and turn it into a venue. It also allows for a personal ceremony among close-knit families and friends.

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