Don’t Let Saying Goodbye Get Too Expensive

When a loved one passes away, you want to make sure that you give them the perfect send-off. However, if they haven’t put aside enough life insurance to make that a little easier, you might be surprised by just how expensive it can be. Here, we’re going to look at some of the ways that you can make it a little easier to say goodbye to your beloved family members without breaking the bank.

The tips below are going to look at some of the ways you can reduce the expenses of saying goodbye while still keeping things respectful and worthy of the person that you love.

Choose your funeral services carefully

If you are opting for a burial funeral, then you should be aware of the fact that there are different types of services that you can opt for. There is a burial service, which typically includes some sort of hosting of your loved ones, perhaps in an open casket, as well as the opportunity to say some words in front of them, inside the funeral home. An immediate burial can be a lot less expensive. You can still say your goodbyes, albeit in a different venue.

Consider cremation

There are a lot of benefits to cremation to consider. One of the most notable, given the subject at hand, is how much less expensive it can be. You don’t have to pay for a plot, for a casket, or a headstone. The average direct cremation costs roughly a third of what even immediate burial costs. Of course, you need to consider the desires of the departed, as well. If they wished to be buried, then you may want to try harder to make sure that this can be done.

Pick your provider

If you are going to be using a funeral home for your services, make sure that you take the time to look around for those who can meet your needs, including your budgetary needs. Funeral homes should be able to offer pricing lists. Furthermore, you may be able to see some services that you would like to opt out of, including embalming. If you are opting for a closed casket ceremony, there may not be much need for embalming. Otherwise, it’s a matter of direct comparison. Know what you’re asking for and know how much they are charging so you can compare them directly with similar quality services.

Shop around for the extras

If you are mourning, then it’s only natural you might want a professional to take care of all of the details for you, giving you little else to worry about once you choose the right funeral home. However, there are aspects of the burial or cremation that you could save money on, such as urns, headstones, caskets, and so on. Rather than simply buying everything from the funeral service provider, look at alternatives like headstones from Memorials.com. The prices will, of course, depend on the specifics of the products, but buying everything from the funeral services provider is almost always going to be more expensive.

Consider asking friends and family to contribute

If you have an idea of the costs that it will take to hold a funeral for your loved one but it will be a bit steep, you might look to the community for help. A lot of people have been asking for contributions through GoFundMe.com that help them say goodbye to a loved one. It can be a good idea if the loved one has left any children behind as well, especially if they knew a lot of people and had a wide friend circle.

Host the memorial yourself

Some funeral directors will provide various venues that you can host a memorial in before or after the burial. Some may even offer free options. You should look at venues around you at sites like Peerspace.com. If you can’t find any that are particularly low cost, then you could instead host it at your own home or your loved one’s home. If there is a large crowd, it might be easier to hire a pavilion you can erect to host them instead of having to choose one of the venues around you.

You may need to think carefully and think about where you are willing to make compromises for the sake of your financial health and where you will not. There are always options to help you save money, so don’t feel like you have to go for the most expensive options.