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We all hear about the rising funeral costs and the relentless adverts on TV that encourage us to buy pre-paid funeral plans or have “no fuss” direct cremations. But there are alternative ways to save on funeral costs without having to compromise on giving yourself or a loved one the send-off that you both deserve.
Here I will talk about 5 ways to save money on funeral costs.
Talk to family, friends, loved ones beforehand
It’s a good idea to talk to family, friends, and loved ones while you are in good health about your preferences and wishes for your funeral. Wouldn’t you want a funeral that reflects your life and what was important to you?
This will also reduce the extra stress and confusion in making difficult and unknown decisions for the grieving family, at the time of need, and save them from getting into debt by spending a fortune on your funeral costs!
It is very common for a family not to know what their loved one’s wishes were when it comes to going into the funeral directors at the time of a death, which makes it all the much harder.
I remember after my mum died, my sister and I went to the florists to order the flowers and it was one of the hardest experiences of my life and one that both my sister and I remember nearly 40 years later! Read about my experience of how it was for me after mum died
Do your research in advance to keep down funeral costs
For everything else we buy, we go shopping, we do the research, we plan for life events, but when it comes to death and funerals, we avoid it. Thus leaving it to our grieving families and loved ones to make all the decisions and pay for it!
Prices between different funeral directors vary and can add a significant number to the funeral costs, so it's good to shop around beforehand.
You can request brochures from your local funeral directors to get an idea of choices and costs.
You can check out my No Regrets website and blogs for inspiration on funeral preparation and planning.
Organise a Home Funeral to keep Funeral Costs down
Did you know that you are not legally required to use a Funeral Director in the UK and can organise a funeral yourself?
From making a coffin to having a funeral service at home or a different venue, and not limited by the 30-minute slots at a Crematorium.
You can also have a life celebration where everyone takes part in organising and having the wake at home with home-cooked food or with everyone bringing a dish to share.
My friend's coffin in the back of her treasured Campervan
Knowledge really is power when it comes to arranging a Funeral (and every other aspect of end-of-life planning!)
Book an Empower Hour with me to find out how you can do this.
Read my experiences of organising a funeral for a dear friend.
Book my Funeral Preparations & Planning package where we can talk over all the different aspects and write it all down for your family and friends.
Flowers at a Funeral
Pre-paid funeral plans do not usually include Floral tributes or flowers, which can add a lot to the total of funeral costs.
You can bring flowers from home and ask people to bring individual flowers to lay on the coffin, or you can make a wreath together with the family.
A popular alternative to having flowers at funerals nowadays is to ask for donations instead for your loved one’s favourite charity instead.
Donate your body to science
Another popular option to save money on your funeral costs, especially in the U.S. is donating your body to science or local medical school. This way you are helping advance science and also saving a tidy sum on funeral costs.
Depending on who you choose to donate to, there is usually a service up to 2 years after death and family are invited and then you have the cremated ashes to take home.
If you choose this option, then it is best to have a back up plan, because we never know the timing or circumstances of our health leading up to and at the time of death.
So as you can see, there are many options for saving money on funeral costs, from the actual service, to doing the research and talking with loved ones ahead of time.
If you don’t want to do the research yourself and want to save your family from getting into debt over your funeral costs, and making your wishes known, book your Empower Hour with me.
Here you can find out everything you need to know for your circumstances to make things less stressful and expensive for your grieving family.
Book a Call with me to see how i can help you with this or any other aspects of end of life planning.
Read Sue’s experiences of booking an Empower Hour with me to get clear about choices for her funeral wishes and funeral costs.
Read more about Celebration of a Life Funeral Preparation and Planning package where we explore all the different aspects and choices for planning a funeral, and I support you all the way!
Join my private Facebook group - No Regrets where I share valuable content on all aspects of end-of-life planning, top tips, and plus we're a lovely worldwide community supporting each other
Thank you for reading!
Mala xx
