Paying for a funeral is one of the biggest purchases we make, but most of us don’t shop around for services and prices – most of us choose an undertaker who is near or familiar with our family. The active role in our families funeral arrangements can be more meaningful than the money we spend on it whether that means conducting the entire process in the funeral home or preparing and delivering the eulogy.
Shopping for Funeral Costs Shopping around One of the best ways to save on funeral costs is to look around and compare prices. The only way to know how much you will pay and how much a funeral will cost is to look for prices for various goods and services. Buying at Funeral Service Singapore – you need to know what you can afford before you start shopping.
In order to avoid the high costs of funeral costs the homeowner is incurred at the time of the death, undertakers insiders recommend that consumers plan their own funerals as soon as possible for their loved ones. Planning a funeral before the need arises can help make thoughtful decisions about funeral companies and services. If you are preparing your own funeral, you should not be tempted to pay for it.
If possible, call more than one undertaker to compare costs and payment options so you can choose the funeral provider that best suits your family’s needs. Undertakers can give you a general price list or a detailed list of goods and services that you can keep.
Their price list contains explicit information about what services the undertaker provides and how much they cost. If you look at this list without pressure from the funeral director, you are more likely to choose the services that the family can afford.
While it makes sense to buy directly from the undertaker, you must bear in mind that you do not buy your funeral products from an undertaker, but from a cemetery that provides funeral services. Use the same buying techniques when purchasing funeral products that you use for larger purchases. Know what services you want and you can ask the undertaker for the specific services you need to avoid paying for unnecessary items.
The average cost of a funeral can be $9,000 or more, depending on the small items to choose from, such as flowers, transportation and headstone. Cremation is more expensive than burial and the additional services can drive up the cost of a coffin at the funeral home, flowers and a viewing service. When they shop, some undertakers will charge, and other times they will make arrangements in a crematorium to go with the crematorium, which can be more expensive.
Coffins can cost several thousand dollars, and funeral items such as headstones and gravestones can add up to several thousand dollars, depending on the material used. The average cost of cremation can range from $1,000 to $8,000, depending on the state of cremation chosen.
A study of 36 price lists for funeral homes and crematoria in Butler and Westmoreland counties in the Tribune Review showed differences in standard services, from a hearing aid ($50 to $300), refrigeration ($50 to $400) and multi-day transfers of remains, which cost up to $2,000, to embalming ($400 to $965) in large communities. Simple funerals and one-hour viewings start at $750 and go up to $5,000; cremations cost between $595 and more than $21,200, the Tribune found in the survey.
One of the most important ways undertakers make their money is by selling grieving families expensive packages that include embalming and decoration. Undertakers fool families into thinking they are not allowed to buy coffins, safes and headstones for their loved ones. This allows them to charge for basic funeral goods, which can ultimately cost your family an arm and a leg.
The main reason why Americans pay too much for funerals is that most Americans do not shop for multiple funeral homes and choose the path of least resistance by calling the nearest funeral home that their family uses. Most people are unaware that you can buy funeral products and services online. Consumer surveys show that most people do not shop for a funeral because they choose the funeral home nearest to them or that their family already uses.
Without prior experience in funeral planning, overtaxing yourself with decisions by overzealous undertakers and cemeteries looking for profit can push you into costly decisions. Don’t put your written plan in your will or locker so it can’t be found and read at your funeral. If your plan goes wrong and your death occurs at home, they need all the skills you have developed to negotiate funeral arrangements.
Do not choose a funeral provider unless you feel comfortable on the director’s premises. Consider what type of funeral is ideal for you and your family and decide which service options are essential and which are a must. Make careful decisions about funeral services and products, including those you should leave out, to keep the funeral within your budget.
