How to Budget for an Affordable Funeral Cost

It doesn’t matter if the economy is good or bad; the funeral industry still has plenty of customers. If you haven’t been involved in planning a funeral lately, the average funeral cost in the United States may surprise you. A very recent survey from the National Funeral Director’s Association reported that average U.S. funerals and burials cost well over $8,000, which is just about 30% more than the average cost from a decade earlier. Many families need to consider ways to cope with these rising costs.

Budgeting for Affordable Funeral Costs

There are many ways to budget and plan for a more affordable funeral for an average family. Certainly, it’s also possible to pay less than the average for a very dignified service for a loved one. No matter how simple or extravagant your tastes are, these tips to reduce the funeral cost can help:

Plan Ahead

It’s not always possible to plan ahead, but it often is. Some ways to plan for this expense include pre-planning final arrangements or even buying a small life insurance policy that can provide cash for final expenses. Just after a loved one passes away is a less than ideal time to save money by considering different options or shopping around, so it’s best if these things can get arranged in advance.

Planning ahead also involves finding out what the loved one would like for his or her memorial service and the disposition of remains. The best thing about pre-planning is that it gives the individual a chance to express their own wishes. Some people may find it difficult to bring up this topic with an aging relative, but very often, elderly people are happy to help their families with this final duty and have their own opinions heard.

Consider Lower Cost Options

According to Slate, just about half of all people who pass away in the United States are cremated these days, compared to about four percent who were cremated fifty years ago. It’s easy to understand the main reason that cremation continues to grow as a more popular option. A cremation and memorial service typically costs about half as much as a burial and funeral service.

A simple cremation is the most modestly priced option, and it’s still possible to hold a fine, inexpensive memorial service at the family’s convenience. In some cases, this works out better because it gives the family time to notify mourners and to make travel arrangements.

It’s Perfectly Fine to Consider the Funeral Cost

Certainly, some people may hold beliefs or have traditions that don’t include cremation and demand a formal funeral and burial. At the same time, people’s notions about the right way to honor a departed loved one have been changing over the years. There isn’t anything shameful about choosing more frugal funeral or memorial service options.

In some cases, the departed person may even prefer cremation and a memorial service. The money that can be saved might be put to other good uses, such has helping survivors cope with grief or by making a donation to a favorite charity or organization. Contact Boston Cremation today by calling 781.322.0909 to learn more about how to plan an affordable funeral.