Naturally, none of us like to spend too much time thinking about what will happen to us when we shuffle off this mortal coil. Many of us will have to address those questions sooner than later, for someone we love who has passed on. If you’re worried about the financial impact of saying goodbye to someone you love, especially someone who did not leave any financial provision for their family, then it’s important to know you have options that can help you say goodbye respectfully without putting you in financial distress. Here are some of those options.
Consider skipping the full funeral service
If your loved one has left explicit wishes on how they want to say goodbye to their family and friends, you may want to do your best to make them a reality. However, in many cases, the traditional full funeral service may not be a part of those wishes and, if that’s the case, you should take it under your own initiative to choose on of the different kinds of funeral services on offer, instead. It can help you save a lot of money to simply pay for direct burial and instead to hold your own service or memorial, perhaps with the help of a local religious head.
A cremation is an option
For many, burial is the traditional option so we consider it the default. However, more and more people are open to and choose a cremation. Again, if your loved one explicitly wished for burial or you know that would fit with their wishes, it’s best to go with that option as there are still plenty of ways to save money when doing so. However, when you arrange for cremation instead, you do not have to deal with the costs of a headstone, casket, or a plot of land, which can help to make things much more cost-effective. As with burials, cremations also benefit from a range of funeral services, so you can arrange for a full funeral service including a viewing, or choose a more affordable direct cremation instead.
Ask about embalming
Whether or not you should pay for embalming really depends on the circumstances of the passing of your loved one, as well as how they want to say goodbye to their loved ones. However, most funeral homes will offer embalming by default, so you may have to ask them directly if you do not want one. As such, if you are having a viewing in the funeral home shortly after the loved one passed, or you are not having your loved one viewed at all, such as in the event of a direct burial service or cremation, then you should ask if the funeral home can skip it to save about 10% of the costs of the whole service.
Choose your own headstones
The next few times are going to highlight how you will often pay a lot more if you choose to buy the memorials and items you need directly from a funeral service provider. The headstone is one of the most important items when it comes to paying your respects, but they traditionally cost $2000 or more, and the more detailed ones can be significantly more expensive, too. Most people choose headstones with the help of the funeral director, but looking for grave headstones for the cemetery online can help you find much more cost-effective options, instead. Take your time, shop around, and find headstones that are both beautifully detailed and affordable.
Choose a more affordable urn
When it comes to cremation, your main cost is going to be choosing an urn in which the ashes of your loved one are held. However, the costs of these urns can be dramatically different depending on where you look and what you choose. While some can cost as little as $80, there are those that cost well over ten times that. Most urns are going to be made from ceramic, stone, or metals, which don’t typically have to be expensive materials, but people tend to get overcharged on them, much like headstones. If your loved one prefers to have their ashes scattered at a place that has meaning to them, then wooden or biodegradable urns might be more affordable and also conducive to their wishes.
Go simple with the casket
If you’re not choosing cremation and are instead going for a casket, then the cost of the burial is going to rise. That should simply be accepted as a given. In most funeral homes, you are rarely going to find a good casket that sells for any less than a grand, meaning that you should be willing to look at other providers. You don’t have to worry about the funeral home or director declining to serve you if you don’t buy a casket from them. They are not allowed to make you use caskets provided by them. You can also cut down on costs by using a rental casket, offering your loved one a respectful and beautiful presentation for the funeral service, before they are buried in a simpler and practical casket instead.
Be prepared for the costs of transport, as well
If it is not entirely necessary for you to arrange for a hearse, then it may be a cost worth rethinking. However, for people of many religions and denominations, it’s a tradition, alongside following the casket through the town, that you may wish to observe. If that’s the case, then look into independent hearse drivers as funeral directors may intend to get you to pay more than is necessary. You must also consider the costs of transport for more of the family to and from the place where the service is being held. Ask family members to ensure that they have their own transport covered to and from the funeral, instead of having to pay the very high costs of arranging hired cars for all of them.
Consider organizing the memorial service yourself
If you’re considering a memorial service of a wake, the funeral director normally handles the responsibility of finding a venue, hiring caterers, and making sure that you have the provisions and decor to make it respectful. While this is a valuable service that they provide, if you wish to be more hands-on, you can do it all yourself. You can also cut down on some of the costs by, for instance, arranging for a smaller, formal memorial, then having a more informal event that you can invite more people to at a more affordable venue or even at your own home. Don’t be afraid to ask guests to pitch in when it comes to the food at the memorial, too.
Do you want to be donated?
If you’re thinking about your own eventual passing, then there are options you can choose now in order to help your family save money in the future. For instance, you can skip the majority of the costs associated with either a burial or a cremation by having your body taken in by the medical community. A lot of people are aware of organ donorship, which can help them save lives. However, you may also want to make a donation of your whole body. Whole-body donations benefit the medical community not through organ donations, but also through helping with research and education. Your body doesn’t necessarily need to be in the picture for your family and friends to hold a memorial.
Don’t forget insurance
Again, this tip is more useful for those who are considering their own eventual passing, rather than that of a loved one. If you want to make sure that your wishes are fulfilled after your death and, more important, that you don’t make your loved ones pay for it, then it’s a good idea to start paying towards a life insurance policy. The sooner you open a life insurance policy, the less expensive it is likely to be for you. Write out your last wishes and do a little research to find out how much it would cost to fulfill them. When choosing life insurance coverage, make sure you choose enough to more than cover those wishes, as the costs can change over time.
Put your financial security first
What’s most important is that whoever is covering the costs of saying goodbye doesn’t have to go in debt because of it. If you’re having trouble covering the costs of a funeral, then you should ask your friends and family for donations to help you manage. If they’re unable or unwilling to raise enough money to cover those costs, then you should not feel bad about going for cheaper options where necessary. We all want to say goodbye in a heartfelt and respectful way, but none of us want to put our loved ones in financial distress.
We all want to say goodbye meaningfully and respectfully, but it doesn’t mean we should make our loved ones pay for it. Protect your finances when the worst happens with the tips above.
