How can you plan a funeral without spending much dollars?

Author’s Bio: Roxie is a guest writer for various finance related Communities including CDFA, FCB, OVLG etc. She is a PG degree holder in Marketing and Finance and right now working in a reputed bank as a relationship manager. She is well equipped to write articles on debt consolidation , debt settlement, frugality, savings, economies of states etc.

Funeral planning is perhaps the most emotional event. In spite of grieving, you need to plan the funeral to honor the deceased person. Death of a person can also result into relatively decreased income. So, planning a funeral may be additional burden for the family members and it can even lead to additional debt. So, it is always better to plan for funerals within a budget. 

5 Tips for planning a funeral on a budget 

Here are 5 tips which you can follow to show your respect to the deceased person without spending quite a lot of money. 

1.       Do not buy expensive flowers – You can always cut down the cost of flowers without appearing miserly. Instead of buying costly flowers, you can purchase carnations which are comparatively cheaper.

2.       Think twice before hiring a clergy-person – Do you want to hire a clergy-person who didn’t even know the deceased person? Isn’t it better to ask someone to speak in the funeral who knew the deceased person? He/she will be able to speak better about the deceased person and the funeral can be arranged at a much lower cost.

3.       Buy a relatively cheaper casket – While buying a casket, always remember that it will ultimately be buried in the ground. So, do not spend your dollars in buying an expensive casket. Instead, you can buy a plain pine box casket.

4.       Shop around to get best deals – Many survivors feel that they would disrespect the dead person if they shop around and bargain for better deals. However, you cannot show tribute to the deceased person by getting ripped off in order to plan the funeral. So, quickly shop around and compare the prices so that you get best deals. It is worth showing respect to the deceased person.

5.       Arrange for an informal funeral – One of the best ways to reduce cost is to arrange an informal funeral. Instead of traveling from the funeral home to the cemetery in a costly vehicle, you can avoid the travelling expense by encouraging the people to come at the house afterwards to reminisce. For the funeral, arrange a closed casket service at the cemetery.

The old people sometimes express their wishes regarding how they would like to be buried after they die. If you’re planning funeral for your grandparents who had expressed their wishes beforehand that they want an inexpensive funeral, then make their wishes come true. Do not arrange a large funeral with a choir. Instead, show your respect by planning a simple funeral without any ceremony. 

Many people want to plan their own funeral in advance.  If you want to do so, you can make the necessary arrangements to save your heirs from the financial burden after your death. You can pick your casket, the burial ground along with the service you would want. You can also pay for the prices in advance at today’s cost. If you do so, make sure you leave the copy of the contract and necessary papers with your heirs.