Holding a funeral service in honor of a friend or a family
member who has died is a tradition which a lot of people from all over the
world would practice. This practice has long been known as a very emotional
occasion, especially for the grieving family.
While there are some people who will plan their funeral in
advance, not a lot of people are actually doing this. Of course, nobody wants
to deal with the fact that someday they will have to say goodbye to their loved
ones forever. But those who are suffering from life threatening diseases and those
who are given only a few months or years to live would often choose to prepare
their funeral service in advance. In fact, some of them have created their own
funeral mass program and will even shoulder the cost that comes with it.
Preparing for a funeral service is not an easy task and you
could be faced with so many financial obligations. A funeral service is indeed expensive.
As a matter of fact, the average cost of funeral services in the UK is now £5,000. But the great news is that there are actually a lot of
ways on how you can save on the cost of a funeral service. So if you are on a
tight budget yet would still want to give the best for your dearly departed,
then you better read these tips now.
Opt for a Cremation
Service
Cremation is practiced by millions of people all over the
world for religious purposes. For a Christian funeral service, cremation is not
often practiced, but you are free to choose this method if you want to and most
especially if the deceased has specifically requested for this.
Cremation is cheaper than burials. So if your dearly
departed has not requested for a burial service while he is still alive, then
you can opt for a cremation service. The reason why this is cheaper is because
there is no longer a need for a burial lot as well as an expensive casket.
Direct cremations will require cremating the body shortly
after the death of a loved one so there is no longer a need for embalming which
is another costly service. After the cremation, the ashes will be placed in an
urn or you can choose to scatter it in an area requested by the deceased.
Therefore, there will no longer be any funeral service and you do not have to
spend for memorial service invitations since there won’t be any viewings and
visitations involved. But this option
will not work if your family is very traditional and would want to stick with
the usual norm of having a funeral service.
Choose a Direct
Burial Option or Green Funeral Service
Just like with direct cremation, the concept of direct
burial is pretty much the same, wherein the burial is done right after a loved
one’s death. Other religions would practice this, such as Islam. With this
method, there will no longer be a need for embalming so you can save a lot of
money.
Also, viewings and visitations are no longer involved
although a memorial service may be needed, thus, you still would have to send
out some memorial service invitation cards. In general, a simple burial container
is being used for the direct burial option so there is no need to spend for
expensive caskets.
Another option is the green or the natural funeral. This is
another alternative to a typical funeral practice that would incorporate some
environment friendly options. This means that there will be no concrete burial
vault required, no cremation, and no embalming or body preparation that
involves the use of chemicals or formaldehyde products. This method will also
make use of biodegradable clothing as well as the use of a cardboard casket or
a biodegradable wood.
But then again, this option will not be possible if the
deceased is very religious. For example, if the deceased is an Anglican or Methodist,
an Anglican/Methodist order of service would still be followed and this means
that the body will have to be embalmed for viewing and visitation and for the
religious service that will be conducted by a clergy. In this case, a funeral
mass program would still be organized and funeral remembrance cards will be sent
to friends and relatives, inviting them to take part in the funeral service.
Hold a Funeral
Service at Home
These days, a lot of people often hold a funeral service or
a memorial service for their dearly departed at a funeral home. This can be a
bit costly since you will have to pay for the daily use of the venue.
If you are trying to save on money, why not consider holding the funeral service at home and organize it yourself? Even if you do not have any knowledge on how
a funeral service is planned, there are several resources online that can help
you on this. As a matter of fact, you will find a funeral order of service
layout online which you can follow as your guide.
Just because you hold the funeral service at your home
doesn’t mean that you cannot make it special. Of course, you still can. Log on
to the World Wide Web and look for any funeral program designs that can serve
as your inspiration for organizing a funeral program for the deceased. You can
also ask other family members and friends to help you on this. If you want to
make it extra special, create remembrance cards for funerals which you can then
distribute to visiting guests. This way, they will still be able to remember
the deceased even if he is already gone.
Compare the Cost of
Funeral Homes
The services of funeral homes are very much needed when
someone dies. They are the ones who will perform the embalming of the body and
will provide for the casket. Sometimes, they will provide the venue for the
funeral service. But all these come with a fee and it is not that cheap. So
before you go on to hire the services of a funeral home, it is important to
check out another funeral home. Call them up and ask for a quotation and
compare the cost with other funeral parlors.
Of course, choose the one that can give you the best price.
There are websites that provide information on the local funeral homes in your
area so better check that out. It features reviews, prices, ratings and other
information about the funeral home.
It is a good idea to choose the funeral home that provides a
package of services, such as funeral service that includes funeral
memory/memorial cards, funeral venue, flowers, and other services needed. This
will save you a lot of money instead of having to spend separately for the funeral
service, invitations, venue, flowers, etc. Of course, they should be able to
provide the best services as well and they should be able to attend to your
every need.
There are also those funeral homes that have funeral
directors who will be in charge in handling all the necessary services that you
need. The director will plan for the memorial service and memorial service
invitations. This is a good option for those who are busy and cannot find time
to plan the funeral service of their dearly departed.
Take Time to Shop
Around for a Casket or Urn
Often, a Christian funeral service and other traditional
funerals would require that the deceased be place in a casket. But a casket
does not come cheap. It costs a lot depending on the design, materials, size,
etc. Therefore, you should take time to shop around for caskets.
Of course, you simply want the best thing for your deceased
family member, so check out those elegant looking caskets that do not cost a
lot. There are lots of cheap caskets that come with great designs and you can
even request for a customized casket if you want, especially if you need to
follow a certain theme for the funeral program. It is also a good idea to
choose the casket that is suitable to the deceased. For example, if he was fond
of a certain color, then the casket should be painted with that color.
For those who opt for a cremation service, an urn is needed
to keep the ash. Therefore, you should shop around for urns that will be used
for cremation. There are so many stores that sell different kinds of urns in
different colors and designs. Just like with shopping for caskets, you should
take time to look around and compare prices. A ceramic urn is the most popular
and the cheaper variety, but this does not have the most excellent quality so
you might want to check out other varieties.
Print the Program and
Invitations
People are used to buying premade funeral invitations or
ordering them from printing companies, without knowing that they can actually
print their own. There are samples of memorial invitation wording online which
you can copy and print on a special type of paper and then place it inside an
envelope to be sent out to guests inviting them for a viewing and visitation or
for the funeral service.
There are even in memoriam card templates that you can find
online and you can use this in preparing for in memoriam cards, a card that is
written in memory of the deceased person. While there are companies that can
print this out for you for a fee, printing them yourself will certainly save
you lots of money. Just make it unique and personalized and should have
messages that are specifically dedicated to the deceased. A remembrance card
template is also available in the World Wide Web, and pretty much everything
you need is there.
Skip the Outer Burial
Container
The outer burial container is not really required by law so
you can just skip that in order to save money. Some cemeteries would require
the outer burial containers in order to prevent the graves from sinking to the
ground. It often comes in the form of a grave liner and a vault, however, this
thing is not really necessary. So if the cemetery where your loved one is to be
buried will not require you this, then might as well skip it.
It may not be that easy to look for money saving options when
it comes to preparing for the funeral service of a deceased who is so dear to
you. Of course, since we consider the person so special, then we just want
nothing but the best for him. Yet, in this day and age wherein the economy is
tough, it just makes sense to save up on expenses, including the cost of a
funeral service.
Looking for ways to cut down on the cost of the funeral
service of your loved one does not really mean that you do not give them
importance. You can still come up with a special funeral service for your dearly
departed without spending a good amount of money. All you need is to research
well enough.
The World Wide Web is filled with so many resources that can
help you in the planning and preparation of the funeral program. There is a
sample funeral order of service which can serve as your guide in preparing the
program for the funeral.
Of course, you also need to send out some invitations to
friends and relatives. With this, you can refer to the samples of memorial
service invitation cards. And in order to give honor to the deceased, you must also
prepare in memoriam cards.
Honoring your loved one who just passed away is not about
the amount of money that you will spend for the funeral service. It is certainly
the thought that matters and the effort that you put into it. If you are on a
tight budget, your loved one will understand this and he will not make you feel
guilty for not spending lavishly for his funeral service.
Check out these videos below for some tips on how to save money on a funeral service.
Check out these videos below for some tips on how to save money on a funeral service.
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