[Mary]

If you need a funeral home check around for pricing. We always used a specific one in town because we thought they were all basically the same on price and we were used to it.

I found out a few months ago that one in a nearby town charges half of what the local one does for a cremation with no service.

My brother passed today and we will save $1,200 using the out of town funeral home even with the pickup charge for being out of mileage range.

[Paula]

Condolenses on the loss of your brother. May he rest in peace. Funeral homes can sometimes be predatory…taking advantage of the grieved family.

I send my best regards to all who knew and love your brother.

[Kym]

I was able to get the pickup and cremation down to $800 by listening to a tip from a hospice social worker. The best quote I had before was $1188 which is still a fair price.

It is a good idea to check around and to listen to those who deal with this for a living.

I was also able to support a small local business.

[Wendy]

Sad that this is how you found out. I’ve had a few experiences with cost as well.

Hugs for you and prayers for comfort.

[Elizabeth]

I’m so sorry you lost your brother. Sadly, bereaved family members are easy targets for unscrupulous funeral homes. The ultimate best way to handle one’s funeral expenses is to prepay at today’s costs, if possible.

My late husband’s funeral expenses were handled by worker’s compensation (he was murdered on the job), but where his urn was placed was in his family’s display in the masoleum, next to his late wife.

My present husband’s parents paid for all of the family’s spots in the same masoleum, but those are for caskets.

The cost was one fifth of today’s prices, including opening the resting place and the wall plaque.

I’m glad they have these arrangements, because it takes a lot pressure off those left behind.

[Caroline]

You can rent a coffin. It allows you to pay for a beautiful one, but be buried in something much more cost-effective.

No one needs to know your beloved was buried in a plain Jane (sorry …Jane) box.

[Teresa]

In our state the body must be embalmed to have an open casket for public viewing. When my mom died, she wanted to be cremated. We chose no cremation and no public viewing.

The funeral home dressed her and put on her makeup and just immediately family and 5 close friends met up privately at the funeral home to view her before she went to the crematory.

Then we did a memorial service without the help of the funeral home. I also ordered her cremation box from Amazon.

Saved $10k by doing it this way.

[Wendy]

I am so sorry for your loss. There are, also, places that will do the cremation for free if you allow them to use what tissues they can for testing before cremation.

[Diane]

Amen! I saved OVER 1K by using a funeral home 30 miles away rather than the one AT the dang cemetery and they did a wonderful job and transported the body to the gravesite when the others could have rolled it from the chapel to the site walking..

Funeral homes have huge differences in pricing in everything from services to burial plots to caskets to urns as well as vaults headstones.

Most will provide you with an itemized list of charges but you might need to ask for it.

Years ago.. One company wanted to charge me $100 to use a stand to hold the book for visitors to sign at the gravesite..I told them to deduct that and borrowed one from our church..

Unfortunately I have had tons of experience with funeral homes (I worked for a State Mental Hospital that had their own cemetery and we buried numerous patients who had outlived most of their relatives or were indigent or only had extended family out of state, etc).

AND I have buried relatives in different cities throughout my state and have found most funeral homes to be like rent to own car places..

(a rip off in other words) that take advantage of their clients who are already at a low point in their lives.. but there are a few..

(way too few) who do not inflate costs beyound reason and that do not nickle and dime you to death.

(No pun intended)
It’s like buying a used car..do not be afraid nor ashamed to negotiate. Remember you are doing business..with a for profit company not dealing in friendship when dealing with a funeral home.

PS. For those doing “Green” funerals..or the like..Just so you know..Even Walmart dot com sells caskets and urns and you can even get a % off that if you use Rakuten or a credit card.

[Author]

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