by Contributing Author
Now is a good time as any to buy a coffin. As the economy fluctuates up and down the charts almost daily, industries, including funeral homes, are privy to the changing tides about different funeral planning aspects. This, in turn, has made the cost of funerals higher than ever, including purchasing coffins. So, if you’re considering getting a coffin, it’s a good idea to research and get the best prices now.
What Makes Funerals So Expensive?
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From the embalming and cosmetics to the actual cemetery space and the ceremony itself will raise a few thousand dollars depending on your choices when planning the funeral service. Although there might not be any concrete laws about how to dispose of the body of the many deceased mortuaries properly, they have made it necessary that the body be embalmed before burial. This also adds to the expenses of the funeral as a whole.
What Are Some Factors That Affect The Cost Of A Funeral?
Religion
Religious practices and traditions are also other factors that come into play. In some religions cremating the body is a must. And while the family might be struggling to make both ends meet, they are still bound by religion to cremate the body, which costs a lot of money.
Coffin/Urn
It’s no secret that the industry makes a lot of money off coffins and caskets. It is probably the most expensive part of the funeral, with most averaging $200 to $5000. If you’re having the body cremated, you might also need an urn to keep the ashes. They are comparatively less expensive than coffins and caskets, but they also add to the funeral cost.
Cosmetics And Dignified Care
When you take the deceased’s body to a funeral home, they will take charge of caring for the deceased’s body. From the cleaning process to embalming, dressing, restorative art, and casketing, all these services are payable when you buy packages from funeral homes.
Funeral Home Services
Before, during, and after the funeral service, the funeral home staff will serve you and your family. For example, obtaining all the official documents, coordinating the plans for how the funeral will go, catering, and consulting and counseling the deceased’s family by a professional.
Additionally, depending on what services the funeral homes are offering and what services you have selected from their list, the total cost of the funeral will be reflected accordingly.
Transportation
If you have to move the deceased’s body to a far-off burial site, the transportation charges can rake up a significant amount. Also, after buying the coffin, you might have to pay for service charges if you are getting it delivered. However, some coffin deals might have free home delivery services, which you can avail of.
Burial Or Cremation
If you choose to have a cremation, this process will have a separate cost. Likewise, when it comes to burials, you might have to pay for burial vaults and grave liners, including the casket and coffin that the body is getting buried in. while laws of burial can cremation can vary from place to place, even the cemetery/funeral home themselves will have proprietary laws which you will have to abide by and ultimately pay for.
How To Cut The Costs Of Funerals?
Coffins And Caskets
The first thing you can do to cut costs is to look online for coffin dealers. The prices are more competitive online, and you also get more options. One of the most known casket company in the US is Trusted Caskets, who sell the caskets online at affordable prices direct to the public. Another thing with online coffin dealers is that they often have free delivery services, so you don’t have to spend extra for casket transportation and handling.
Eco-Friendly Burials
If the deceased family member or the entire family is environmentally conscious, this is a great option that has become more popular in recent years. They are much cheaper than traditional funerals because the costs for concrete headstones and metal caskets are cut from the budget.
As mentioned before, the price of the caskets is probably the highest contributor to the funeral cost. So, when you cut down the costs of such factors, the price significantly drops.
Availing Veteran Benefits
Regarding funerals, there’s no shame in availing of your benefits. For example, funeral homes have different packages like war veteran packages. Family members of a deceased veteran are usually eligible by law to avail of burial allowances.
This can include a government-allotted space in the veteran cemetery, a government memorial certificate, a flag, and even government-provided headstones.
Compare Prices
The prices may vary significantly depending on which city, town, or county you plan the funeral. So, it’s always a good idea to compare the costs of each funeral home before you decide which one to go for.
Many people may not know this, but funeral homes have different service packages. Depending on your budget and preferences, you can choose the most appropriate. These packages are much cheaper than paying individually for each part of the service.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that funerals are an expensive ordeal. Whether you’re able to afford it or not is a whole other deal. Instead, the main focus is organizing the service to go as smoothly as possible. Last-minute coffin shopping is an ordeal that is both stressful and expensive. This is the reason why already having a coffin ready is always a plus point when it comes to planning funerals.
