How to Cut Down on Funeral Costs

If your loved one died today, would you be able to afford the cost of the funeral? A typical funeral starts around $6500. Do you have enough insurance to cover this? Most people either cannot afford the insurance or believe there will be plenty of time to get insurance later. That is not always true.

There are ways to reduce the cost of funeral expenses. You do not need to let the funeral home make all the arrangments. You can make choices that can reduce the cost of seeing that your loved one has a nice personal funeral.

Let's start with the cost of a casket. If you purchase it from the funeral home, the price starts around $3500, depending on which type of metal and model you choose. You can purchase the same casket direct from a casket company for far less, some even ships it for free. A few casket companies are: http://www.bestpricecaskets.com/?gclid=CK-28_f_3ZQCFQGbnAodJW1eQQhttp://www.dignifiedcaskets.com/?Click=2&gclid=CO_YqJKA3pQCFR0RnQodyxmYSQhttp://www.casketgallery.com/caskets.phtml?gclid=CIzb5aaA3pQCFQyfnAod6l7vRA These caskets start around $700, a really big savings and can be delivered within 24 hours.

The cost of the gravedigger averages $350.00. If you know a couple of people that would be willing to dig it, you could save a little money here. I know a lot of people would not be able to think about this, but you would be surprised at how many people would be honored to know that they were able to help prepare your loved one's final resting place.

Another thing you could consider is to have a simple graveside service instead of renting the funeral chapel or church. A graveside service would also allow the mourners to be more comfortable with showing their grief and support.

Have a family member or close friend give the eulogy instead of the funeral director. It will mean so much more coming from someone everyone knows instead of a stranger and save a little more money.

Most newspapers now charge for funeral announcements and obituaries. Unless you really want a written copy of it, then skip this step. All your family and friends will already know all the details anyway.

Finally, you could forego the flowers. Ask the guests to donate to a funeral fund instead of buying flowers. If anyone has gone through this same thing, they will know how much more the donation will be appreciated than the flowers will be.

If you have any other suggestions on how to save money, please leave your comments below. Remember that not everyone can afford the cost of a funeral these days, especially after the unexpected death of a loved one.