3 Quick Tips To Keep Your Funeral Costs To A Minimum
The thought of dying worries nearly everyone. This fear can quickly be exacerbated when you factor in the cost of funerals nowadays – it is estimated that the average funeral costs between $8000 and $10000 dollars. Nobody wants to leave their family behind with a mountain of debt, so it's understandable that you'd want to keep funeral costs at a minimum in order to give your family more of their inheritance. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to put a cap on your funeral costs:
Tell Your Family Exactly what You Want
Discussing your funeral wishes with your family can be a difficult thing to do, as many close family members won't want to face the difficulties ahead. However, it's important that you tell your family exactly how you want your funeral to proceed. Not only will this give them clear guidelines to work with when mourning their loss, but it will also help them save money when planning the funeral.
Many people make the mistake of only telling their family what type of funeral they want. This causes problems as family members may misinterpret your wishes and feel burdened with a list of expenses. As such, you should create an itemized list which you leave with your family, outlining the specifics of your funeral wishes. Remember to leave this with a trusted family member to open following your passing, rather than mixing it up with your last will and testament.
Only Buy What You Want
Following your passing, your family members won't be in the best position to make rational and logical choices. They will be overcome with a wave of emotions and may find it difficult when negotiating with salespeople. They may also feel like cutting costs for your funeral is disrespectful, and so run the risk of accumulating a lot of unnecessary expenses that add nothing to your funeral procedure.
Therefore, you should ensure that you only buy what you feel is necessary for your funeral. Although buying funeral items in advance of death may seem a little morbid, buying particular items (such as a casket) in advance can save your family a lot of money down the line. Additionally, it allows you to exercise your full will over the purchase – you don't have to spend frivolously if you don't want to. Having the essential items purchased in advance of your passing will ensure that your money is only spent on items that you want.
Don't Be Afraid to Go Online
It may seem an unusual idea to plan your funeral using the internet; however, if you don't take advantage of the tools available then you may be missing out.
The reason for this is that the internet has made it much easier to find good quality items at decent prices. Funeral items are typically very hard to source – there will likely be no more than three funeral homes in your local area. Therefore, purchasing items such as caskets and headstones online can ensure you are getting the best price possible.
When buying items online, don't be afraid to haggle. For some people, haggling over funeral items can feel like they are playing the sympathy card to get a lower price. However, this simply isn't the case. Casket manufacturers and headstone engravers are business people and you should treat them as such in order to make the best use of your available budget.
Planning your own funeral isn't a nice thought. However, neither is leaving your family with ridiculously high bills to pay for your funeral. By implementing the above tips, you can reduce your funeral costs and allow your family to keep more of the inheritance you've left behind. You can also click here for info on planning your funeral.
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