Paying for a funeral can have a huge impact on your finances. However, you do not always have to break the bank to plan a decent funeral. There are several money-saving tips you can use to plan a decent funeral that shows respect to the deceased and reflects their unique personality while allowing you to stay within the confines of a reasonable budget. Read on for creative ways to honor your loved one while saving on funeral expenses.
Skip embalming
Embalming is often necessary in most states if you are to include a public viewing in the funeral ceremony. To cut costs, you may opt to have a private visitation period for family members only and skip the public viewing. Most funeral homes will usually not charge for such a private session.
If you want to give the public a chance to view your loved one prior to the funeral, ask your funeral home if your state permits for a public viewing without embalming. Some states allow this, provided the body has been well preserved in a refrigerated environment prior to the viewing. However, if your state mandates that the body be embalmed for public viewing, you may opt to skip the public viewing and keep the casket closed during the funeral service.
Limit visitation and funeral attendance
If you are planning a funeral on a tight budget, you may opt to sacrifice a formal visitation and just have folks gather at the funeral home a few hours before the funeral service to pay their respects other than set a formal time for visiting hours prior to the funeral day.
You may also save on funeral charges by limiting attendance at the graveside or crematorium to close friends and family and then hold a large public service at the church or other venue.
Choose a less expensive casket
There are a wide variety of low-cost, yet respectful caskets you can use for your loved one's burial. A good choice would be a casket made of heavy-duty cardboard. These designs are cheaper than wooden caskets but still resemble wood because they are usually covered with what resembles contact paper.
You may also opt for a low-cost, cloth-covered fiberboard or wooden casket. Alternatively, you may go for a 'cremation casket' that can also be used for burial. Since such caskets are designed for a cremation, they are often simple in design and do not contain metal parts, making them cheaper than caskets designed exclusively for burial.
For more tips, visit a funeral home in your area like Fletcher Funeral Home PA.
Share16 February 2016
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.