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3 Financial Tips For Planning A Funeral Service

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If you are in charge of planning a funeral service for a family member who did not plan out their own funeral in advance, you may need to watch your finances. You want to put together a respectable funeral service while at the same time sticking to a budget that you and your family can afford.

#1 Ask for A Written Casket List

The cost of a casket can vary greatly, from a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand dollars. No matter how much money you spend on the casket, they all do the same basic job. They protect your loved one's body when it is put into the ground. A lot of the differences in low to high priced caskets are cosmetic differences.

If you have a tight budget, you can still get a nice casket. Just be sure to ask for a written casket list at the funeral home that you go to. A written price list will help you see the wide variety of types and price ranges of caskets that you can purchase for your loved one.

#2 Check Burial Container Requirements

Depending on where you live, you may be required to use some type of outer burial container. Outer burial containers are designed to keep your grave from sinking, which is important in places with high water tables and with really soft soil. However, in most places, you don't need any outer burial containers.

If an outer burial container is required, on the high end of things you can purchase a buried vault. On the more affordable end of things, you can purchase a grave liner, which just simply lines the grave but is considered an outer burial container in most places.

#3 Big Headstones Can Wait

Finally, keep in mind that you don't have to purchase a big headstone right away if that doesn't fit in your budget. If you have a small budget in order to bury your loved one with respect, you can put up a small temporary or homemade headstone to mark your loved one's grave. Then, you can budget for a large and more decorative gravestone. Try to set a deadline for when you want to purchase the more detailed headstone so that you can budget properly for the headstone. Setting a deadline will also help ensure that this task doesn't keep getting pushed back in time.

When planning a funeral for a loved one, keep in mind that a simple casket and a fancy looking casket perform much of the same function once in the ground. See if you need to purchase a burial container, and remember that you can use a small market until your family can afford a large headstone. For more information on funeral services contact a local funeral home.


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