When a close family member passes away, you can face a challenging time as you balance your grief with preparing funeral arrangements. If your deceased family member didn't pay for his or her funeral in advance, it might fall upon you to handle the bill; the average funeral cost is about $6,600, as of 2013 data. If you're not in the financial position to be able to afford this expense, there are a number of subtle changes you can make when you're talking to a funeral home representative that can translate into significant cost savings for you. Here are three ways that you can lower the funeral-related expenses.
Choose Cremation
More and more families are opting for cremation because its price tag isn't as steep as a traditional embalming and presentation of the body for the funeral. You can often expect to pay as little as $2,000 for a cremation arranged through a funeral home. Having a cremation doesn't mean you can't still arrange a funeral service at the funeral home. Instead of displaying the embalmed body in a decorative casket, however, you can simply place an elegant urn that contains the person's ashes in a place of prominence.
Cut Back On Visitation Times
Consider the network of people who might attend the visitation for your deceased family member. If the person had a small circle of friends or you don't otherwise expect a significant turnout at the visitation, there's no point in having two separate visitation times, which is common. Instead of having a pair of two-hour windows for people to pay their respects, for example, think of what you deem to be a convenient time and hold the visitation at that point. One visitation instead of two means that you're using the funeral home's space for less time, which translates into more money in your pocket when it comes time to pay the bill.
Have A Planning Partner
It can be easy to overspend at a funeral because you don't want to appear disrespectful to your deceased family member. If you're concerned that you'll arrange more extravagances than you can comfortably afford, it's worth having a family member help you with the planning process. This person's job is to put the proverbial brakes on unnecessary spending. For example, if you're feeling that buying vast bouquets is necessary, the partner might remind you that another family member has a beautiful garden and that she wouldn't mind contributing some blooms to the occasion.
For more information about planning and paying for a funeral, contact a company like Hempstead Funeral Home.
Share19 August 2015
A couple of weeks ago, one of my dear family friend’s suffered the loss of her husband. After a brief illness, he passed away at a local hospital. Immediately after his passing, she started planning the funeral arrangements. She didn’t want his funeral to be a sad occasion. Instead, she wanted the service to celebrate his amazing life. She worked tirelessly with the professional staff at a local funeral home in order to plan the order and type of service for the funeral. On this blog, you will discover tips for planning a funeral service that will celebrate the life of your deceased loved one.