It can be hard to plan a funeral. So much goes into funerals that most people don’t even think about. And today, there’s even a technological twist to them. People want to be able to live stream funerals now when they can’t attend in person. The cost of cremation in the U.S. is fairly high, and the cost of a funeral is even higher. That makes some people seek out a discount funeral home that will keep the price low. If you are looking for cheap funerals near me, check your local business listings for a funeral home that will take on low-priced funerals.
Often, your cheapest burial option is to have a ceremony at home and to use the most basic casket you can buy. Much of the cost of funerals is the cost of the caskets, so be sure that you pick the casket well and with a budget in mind. You might have a private gathering at your home instead of having a funeral in a funeral home. You can also cremate instead of buying a fancy casket. When you have a strict budget in mind, you may notice several things that you can cut out of the funeral.
We’re all going to die some day. The average life expectancy in the United States is 78.8 years and Americans living longer than ever.
That being said, everyone will die one day. While death isn’t a topic most people like to think or talk about too often, it’s important to have a plan in place for when that time comes. The National Funeral Directors Association’s 2017 Consumer Awareness and Preferences Study revealed that 62.5 percent of consumers felt it was very important to communicate their funeral plans and wishes to family members prior to their own death.
Despite the majority opinion that a family must know a loved one’s wishes after death, only 21.4 percent of people had ever communicated their wishes.
Cremation was illegal in the United States, but nowadays it’s become the preferred option in North America. In 2016, the U.S. performed more cremations than other forms of burial.
A 2017 survey of the preferences of Americans aged 40 and older found that more than half preferred cremation. In 2017, the cremation rate in the United States was 51.6 percent. By 2022, that rate is expected to climb to 57.8 percent.
Planning a funeral isn’t always the happiest of experiences and funerals can get expensive. However, there are many low-cost funeral and cremation services available. With that in mind, here are five tips for affordable cremation services and low-cost funerals.
- Shop around: There are many low-cost funeral and cremation services available and you don’t have to settle on the first funeral home you find. Check with funeral homes and ask for their pricing lists. These lists are mandated to itemize charges, so you can compare costs very easily.
- Pick cremation instead of burial: As mentioned above, cremation is becoming more popular and is a less expensive alternative to burial.
Losing a loved one is never easy and it may be beneficial for a family to go over the pros and cons of cremation and burial while there is time to do so. - Come with an urn: After cremation, a funeral home or crematorium will give you the cremains of your loved one in a plastic bag in a box. Funeral homes also offer urns or other containers you can pay for to put the remains of your loved one in. Skip that step and provide your own means of storage from home. Also keep in mind that you may not need an urn if you instead to scatter the ashes of a loved one.
- Have a home funeral: Another way to keep things affordable is by having a funeral at home. Home funerals can be tailored however you want to remember your loved one, whether you want to hold a memorial service or have visiting hours or a wake.
This Huffington Post article offers some insight into the growing trend of home funerals. - Have a church funeral: Funeral services at a church or other places of worship are often less expensive than a funeral home, though costs tend to vary. Clergy members tend to officiate for free, but it is customary to give an honorarium. Also keep in mind the role religion plays in your family. Just under 40 percent of Americans feel religion is an important part of a funeral.
These are just a few of the low-cost funeral and cremation services options available. US Funerals offers more information about low-cost funeral and cremation services.
As previously mentioned, it is never easy to discuss death, especially with a loved one who may be actively dying. But there are many benefits to planning a funeral before it happens and doing so could make the process a lot easier for a family when the time finally comes.
