Funeral Tips - tips for saving money at the funeral home.

Author Archive for Mike

How to Compare Funeral Prices

Posted by Mike 
· July 22, 2021 

Today, with the average funeral cost nearing $8,300 for a traditional burial, the death of a loved one is a huge financial burden. This means finding and choosing the correct funeral home is very important.  Since many people are often distraught and emotionally drained when a loved on passes, consumers don’t have the time or energy  to spend copious hours comparing funeral homes and services.  Luckily, there is a site that can aid you in finding the right funeral home quickly and easily online.

Parting.com helps you easily compare funeral homes online for free.  This is the most comprehensive resource available for comparing prices, viewing photographs, and reading reviews of all the funeral homes in the United States.

Compare_Funeral_Home_Prices__Photos__and_Reviews___Parting

Funerals are often as unique as the people whose life they are celebrating, but Parting has been able to give consumers the ability to look at relative prices of funeral homes available in the area.  This is the transparency we should expect to see in every business, and this is a great start for the funeral industry.

Company Information

Parting was started by 3 guys who have no experience in the funeral industry.  Now that might seem a little strange, but it actually makes a lot of sense.  The funeral industry has been functioning the same way for years.  There hasn’t been an overhaul or an attempt to adapt to the internet for a long time, which means that there has been plenty of time for the industry to adapt.  Maybe it takes a few people from outside the industry to give it a fresh set of eyes to see how they can once again provide for their customers in the best way they can.

If you are looking for funeral services, Parting.com is a great place to start

Categories : Funeral Planning Guidance, Tips to Lower Funeral Costs
Tags : , ,

What are the advantages and disadvantages of direct cremation?

Posted by Mike 
· July 19, 2021 

Direct Cremation Advantages

Direct cremation offers an affordable alternative to traditional body burial.

While direct cremation can significantly reduce funeral home costs, you can reap additional financial benefits from the cemetery and headstone dealer.  If you choose not to bury the cremated remains – and many people do not – you can eliminate many items that make the traditional funeral so expensive.

Here is a list of costs you can eliminate by choosing direct cremation:
  • expensive casket
  • embalming
  • funeral home staff and facilities charge
  • cosmetic and hair dressing charges
  • funeral chapel or church fees
  • viewing or visitation charges
  • transportation fees (hearse, flower car, utility vehicle, etc.)
  • burial plot or mausoleum crypt
  • vault or grave liner
  • grave opening and closing costs
  • headstone or grave marker

But price is not the only advantage in choosing direct cremation.  Many people prefer cremation because the cremains (i.e. ashes) are portable.  This allows families to take remains with them when they move.  Many people also feel that choosing cremation over body burial is friendlier to the environment because no land is disturbed.

Direct cremation is also simpler and more expedient.  The entire affair usually takes place in just two or three days; furthermore, direct cremation requires less time commitment from the family.  This can be especially important if surviving family members are ill, disabled, or live far away.

Cremation also offers a wide range of disposition options.  While most families decide to keep remains at home, other options exist.

Direct Cremation Disadvantages

While direct cremation offers many advantages, you also need to consider its potential disadvantages before finalizing your plans.

Because many families find comfort in holding a traditional funeral service, a simpler direct cremation may not be therapeutic enough to satisfy surviving family members.

In addition, direct cremation does not allow the family to celebrate the decedent’s life, nor does it give friends an opportunity to say goodbye.

And because the funeral home makes less money when providing direct cremation services, funeral home employees may try harder to sell you extras.

Lastly, even though you may not have to buy a grave site or headstone, you will incur an additional expense if you decide to purchase an urn.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

Categories : Funeral Planning Guidance
Tags :

Body donation: the advantages and disadvantages.

Posted by Mike 
· July 16, 2021 

Many people consider donating their body to science in lieu of choosing a funeral followed by burial in a cemetery.  Body donation (or medical donation, as it is sometimes called), has advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of donating your body to science

One of the chief advantages related to donating your body to science is that this option is often considerably less expensive than other funeral options.  By donating your body to science, you avoid costs associated with body burial in a cemetery.  You may also be able to lower or reduce costs related to the headstone or memorial marker.

A body donation can also be fairly simple to arrange: normally you file basic paperwork with a donor program (usually a medical school) and then notify the donor program immediately following the death.  Representatives from the medical school will dispatch professionals to pick up the decedent and transport the body back to the medical school.

Moreover, the donor program or medical school accepting the body usually takes full responsibility for handling the eventual cremation and burial tasks.  Families are usually given the option of having cremated remains buried at the school site or returned to the family once the school is finished using the body for teaching purposes.

Donating your body to medical science also has an altruistic advantage in that your donation helps train future doctors and surgeons and may help find cures to a variety of diseases.  While this may not be a high priority in some families, other families take solace in the fact that they are able to make a positive impact on future generations.

Medical donation / Body donation – disadvantages to consider

While medical donation offers many advantages, there are also disadvantages you should consider before finalizing your plans.

You need to plan carefully to ensure that the body will be accepted regardless of the manner of death.  Some donation programs exclude bodies that have expired from certain conditions.  Should you (or a loved one) die in a manner that is excluded under the terms of the donor program, surviving family members would be responsible for making alternative arrangements.  This means even if you were planning on donating your body to science at relatively no cost, you could end up with unexpected funeral bills.

Most donor programs have counselors that can clearly explain which methods of death are acceptable or excludable under their program guidelines.  By talking with the donor program counselor and reviewing their literature, you can reduce –and in many cases eliminate- the risk of an expensive surprise.  Some programs will agree to accept the body regardless of the manner of death – even if the school determines they cannot use the body for teaching purposes.

It is also important to remember that medical donation may not be a viable alternative for “at need” cases.  Most donor programs require program registration prior to the time of death.  Because most medical schools require the decedent to be delivered immediately upon death, there often is not enough time to register for medical donation after the person has died.

This means you should have a backup plan when choosing medical donation.  You want to have a “plan B” just in case your donation is not accepted by the medical school because of an excludable manner of death or because the body could not be transported to the medical school within a reasonable amount of time.  Again, the donor program counselor will be able to provide clear guidance as to what manners of death and what time frames for delivery are acceptable.

Also, because most medical schools use bodily organs in their research, they usually do not accept bodies whose organs have been donated.  So if donating your organs is important to you, the medical donation option may not be available to you.  Similarly, autopsied bodies are usually not eligible for medical donation for the same reason.

Note: most medical schools do allow you to donate your eyes without jeopardizing a full body donation.

While donating your body to science can be a wonderful way to serve future generations, the process may not celebrate the decedent’s life as the family wants.  Because time is of the essence when donating a body, there usually is not time to hold a funeral or memorial service with the body present.  This doesn’t mean the family can’t hold a memorial service anyway; it just means that they will have to hold the service in the absence of the body or cremated remains.

Because some families find that holding a funeral is therapeutic and helps them begin the healing process, forgoing a funeral for body donation, may be less satisfying to some  surviving family members.

Although all medical schools hold a community memorial service to pay respects to the bodies used during the previous semester’s classes, this ceremony usually does not occur until approximately 18 months after the date of death.  This extended “waiting period” often may delay the family’s feeling of closure.

Lastly, because the body needs to be preserved for a long time period (usually until the next school semester starts), the medical school will be required to embalm the body.

Donating your body to medical science has many advantages and disadvantages.  The above considerations can be used as a starting point for making an appropriate decision.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

 

Categories : Funeral Planning Guidance
Tags : , ,

Common Funeral Terms

Posted by Mike 
· July 12, 2021 

ARRANGEMENT CONFERENCE – A meeting held between the funeral director and family members of the deceased to finalize funeral arrangements.  During this meeting the funeral director will discuss the family’s wishes and budget and prepare a binding contract for the funeral goods and services selected by the family.  This meeting usually takes place at the funeral home shortly after death has occurred.  However, it may also be held at a hospital or the family’s home.

ARRANGEMENT ROOM – A room at the funeral home used to make the necessary funeral arrangements with the family of the deceased.

BEREAVED – (N) The immediate family of the deceased. (V) suffering from grief upon the death of a loved one.

BURIAL – Placing of a dead body in an underground chamber – earth burial- interment

BURIAL CERTIFICATE OR PERMIT – A legal paper issued by the local government authorizing burial. The permit may authorize earth burial or cremation or removal to a distant point.

CASKET – A receptacle of wood, metal or plastic into which the dead human body is placed for burial. Sometimes referred to as a “coffin”.

CASKET COACH – Hearse – A special car designed and used to transport casketed remains from the funeral service to the cemetery. Also known as a Funeral Coach.

CEMETERY – An area of ground set aside for burial or entombment of the deceased.

CERTIFIED DEATH CERTIFICATE – A legalized copy of the original certificate, issued upon request by the local government for the purpose of substantiating various claims by the family of the deceased such as insurance and other death benefits.

CHAPEL – A large room in the funeral home in which the farewell service is held.

COLUMBARIUM – A granite wall for placing an urn containing cremated remains.

COMMITTAL SERVICE – The final portion of the funeral service at which time the deceased is interred or entombed.

COSMETOLOGY – Utilization of cosmetics to restore life like appearance to the deceased.

CREMAINS – another term for “ashes”.

CREMATION – Reduction of the body to ashes by fire.

CREMATION PERMIT – A certificate issued by local government authorizing cremation of the deceased.

CREMATORY – A furnace for cremating remains – a building housing such a furnace.

CRYPT – A vault or room used for keeping remains.

DEATH CERTIFICATE – A legal paper signed by the attending physician showing the cause of death and other vital statistical data pertaining to the deceased.

DEATH NOTICE – That paragraph in the classified section of a newspaper, or on the Internet, publicizing the death of a person and giving those details of the funeral service the survivors wish to have published. Sometimes referred to as an obituary.

DECEASED – (N) one in whom all physical life has ceased; (V) dead.

DISPLAY ROOM – That room in the funeral home in which caskets, urns, and other funeral merchandise is displayed.

EMBALM – The process of preserving a dead body by means of circulating a preservative embalming fluid through the veins and arteries.

EMBALMING FLUID – Liquid chemicals used in preserving a dead body.

EULOGY– A brief speech (or speeches) that offers praise and celebrates the life of the person who has died.

EXHUME – To dig up the remains; to remove from the place of burial.

FAMILY CAR – A limousine in the funeral procession set aside for the use of the immediate family. This is the car right behind the hearse in the funeral procession.

FLOWER CAR – A vehicle used for the transportation of flower pieces from the funeral home to the church and/or cemetery.

FINAL RITES – The funeral service.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS – Funeral director’s conference with the family for the purpose of completing financial and service details of a funeral.

FUNERAL DIRECTOR – A person who prepares for the burial or other disposition of dead human bodies, supervises such burial or disposition, maintains a funeral establishment for such purposes. Also known as a mortician or undertaker.

FUNERAL HOME – A building used for the purpose of embalming, arranging and conducting funerals.

FUNERAL SERVICE – 1) The profession which deals with the handling of dead human bodies; 2) The religious or other rites conducted immediately before final disposition of the dead human body.

FUNERAL SPRAY – A large bunch of cut flowers sent to the residence of the deceased or to the funeral home as a floral tribute to the deceased.

GRAVE – An excavation in the earth for the purpose of burying the deceased .

GRAVE LINER – A receptacle made of concrete, metal or wood into which the casket is placed. Normally this item has four sides and a top but no bottom. The main purpose of this item is to prevent the ground from sinking down around the grave site as the earth settles. By keeping the grass above the grave level with the rest of the cemetery, it’s easier to mow. This item is less expensive than a vault.

GRAVE (OR MEMORIAL) MARKER – A headstone. A method of identifying the occupant of a particular grave. Permanent grave markers are usually made of metal or stone and give data such as the name of the individual, date and place of birth, date and place of death.

HONORARY PALLBEARERS – Friends or members of a religious, social or fraternal organization who act as an escort or honor guard for the deceased. Honorary pallbearers do not carry the casket.

INTER – To bury a dead body in the earth in a grave or tomb.

INURNMENT – The placing of cremains (i.e. “ashes”) into an urn.

LEAD CAR – The vehicle in which the funeral director and sometimes the clergyman rides. When the procession is formed, the lead car moves to the front and leads the procession to the church and/or cemetery. This car is usually in front of the hearse.

LIMOUSINE – An automobile designed to seat five or more persons behind the driver’s seat.

MASS CARDS – A card indicating that a Mass for the deceased has been arranged. (Catholic religion)

MAUSOLEUM – A building specially designed with several chambers to receive casketed remains. A permanent above ground resting place for the dead.

MEMORIAL – the generic name given to any type of headstone or flat marker used to identify the occupant of a particular grave or crypt. A marker is usually a flat piece of granite or bronze upon which identifying data is inscribed. A headstone is usually two large pieces of granite or marble upon which the identifying information is carved. The identifying information may include the name of the individual, date and place of birth, date and place of death. NOTE: in this kit I use the term “memorial” to represent any type of headstone or marker. Section 2 of this kit describes in detail the various types and features of memorial markers available.

MEMORIAL DONATION – A memorial contribution specified to a particular cause or charity, usually in lieu of flowers.

MEMORIAL SERVICE – A religious service conducted in memory of the deceased without the body being present. This term also applies when the service is conducted while the ashes / cremains are present.

MORGUE – A place in which the bodies of persons found dead are kept until identified and claimed or until arrangements for burial have been made.

MORTICIAN – See funeral director.

MORTUARY – A synonym for funeral home – a building specifically designed and constructed for caring for the dead.

MOURNER – One who is present at the funeral out of affection or respect for the deceased.

NICHE – A small opening or recess in a wall that is used to display an urn containing cremated remains.

OBITUARY – A notice of the death of a person usually placed in a newspaper, or on the Internet, containing a biographical sketch of the deceased person. Sometimes referred to as a death notice.

PALLBEARERS – Individuals whose duty it is to carry the casket when necessary during funeral service. Pallbearers in some sections of the country are hired and in other sections they are close friends and relatives of the deceased.

PLOT – A specific area of ground in a cemetery owned by a family or individual. A plot usually contains two or more graves. This is the space used to bury the casketed body or an urn containing cremains (ashes).

PREARRANGED FUNERAL – Funeral arrangements completed by an individual prior to his/her death.

PRIVATE SERVICE – This service is by invitation only and may be held at a place of worship, a funeral home or a family home. This type of service is not open to the public or uninvited friends and family members.

PROCESSION – The vehicular movement of the funeral from the place where the funeral service was conducted to the cemetery. May also apply to a church funeral where the mourners follow the casket as it is brought into and taken out of the church.

PUTREFACTION – The decomposition of the body upon death which causes discoloration and the formation of a foul smelling product.

REGISTER – A book made available by the funeral director for recording the names of people visiting the funeral home to pay their respects to the deceased. Also has space for entering other data such as name, dates of birth and death of the deceased, name of the officiating clergyman, place of interment, time and date of service, list of floral tributes, etc.

REMAINS – The deceased.

REPOSING ROOM – A room of the funeral home where a body is stored from the time it is casketed until the time of the funeral service.

RESTORATION – The process of restoring mutilated and distorted features by employing wax, creams, plaster, etc.

RIGOR MORTIS – Rigidity of the muscles which occurs at death.

SERVICE CAR – Usually a utility vehicle such as a pickup truck or van. It is utilized to transport chairs, flower stands, shipping cases, etc.

SPIRITUAL BANQUET – A Roman Catholic practice involving specific prayers, such as Masses and Rosaries, offered by an individual or a group for a definite purpose.

SURVIVOR – The persons outliving the deceased, particularly the immediate family.

SYMPATHY CARDS – A card sent to the family to express sympathy.

URN – A container into which cremated remains are placed, made of metal, wood or stone.

VAULT – A receptacle made of concrete, metal or wood into which the casket is placed. Normally this item has four sides and both a top and bottom. The main purpose of this item is to prevent the ground from sinking down around the grave site as the earth settles. By keeping the grass above the grave level with the rest of the cemetery, it is easier to mow. This item is more expensive than a grave liner – but it serves the same purpose.

VIEWING – An opportunity for survivors and friends to view the closed casket of the deceased in private, usually in a special room within the funeral home.

VIGIL – A Roman Catholic religious service held on the eve of the funeral service.

VISITATION – An opportunity for survivors and friends to view the open casket of the deceased in private, usually in a special room within the funeral home.

WAKE – A watch kept over the deceased, sometimes lasting the entire night preceding the funeral.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

 

Categories : Funeral Planning Guidance
Tags : , , , , , , , , , ,

Get the facts on cremation.

Posted by Mike 
· July 9, 2021 

This brief article shares facts about the cremation process.  Most bodies that are cremated are placed in something combustible.  Typical cremation containers include heavy cardboard trays, cardboard or wood caskets, or canvas body bags.

Only 15 percent of cremations include the use of a casket.  This means nearly 85 percent of cremations take place using a less expensive cardboard container or canvas bag.

Cremation process

The typical cremation process takes somewhere between one and two hours to complete.  The actual time varies in proportion to the size of the deceased, with larger bodies taking slightly longer to cremate.

Cremation heats the body and container at a high enough temperature to reduce all contents to cremains.  “Cremains” is the technical term for “ashes.”  A normal adult body yields between five and seven pounds of cremains, enough to fill a 12″X 4″ container.

Cremains are generally gray in color and have a consistency similar to playground sand or fine gravel.  From an environmental standpoint, cremains are sterile and non-polluting.

Most funeral homes return cremated remains in a small cardboard box fitted with a plastic-bag liner.  Sometimes the funeral home will stamp the word “temporary” on the box in an effort to sell the family a more permanent – and expensive – urn.  However, you do not need to purchase an urn because any container, including the simple cardboard box, is sufficient for storage purposes.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

Categories : Funeral Planning Guidance
Tags : ,

Cremation costs – How much does a cremation with services cost?

Posted by Mike 
· July 6, 2021 

This article discusses cremation costs related to choosing a cremation with services.

Broadly speaking, the average cost of cremation with services handled through a funeral home is between $2,000 and $4,000.  If these same services are handled directly through a crematory, you can expect to pay between $1,500 and $3,000.

Typically, these prices include the cost of the actual cremation and a basic memorial service.  Some families may instead choose to cremate the body after first holding a viewing or funeral ceremony.

This type of cremation with service can increase costs considerably by requiring you to purchase a casket and pay more for the funeral director’s basic services.

When choosing cremation following a funeral service, you can expect to pay between $4,000 to $6,000 at a funeral home or $3,000 to $4,000 at a crematory.

You can find and compare local cremation costs at Parting.com

Categories : Funeral Planning Guidance
Tags : ,

What costs are associated with a traditional funeral service?

Posted by Mike 
· July 3, 2021 

This post provides price ranges for many of the items associated with a traditional funeral service.  Reviewing these considerations will help you identify the type of funeral service most appropriate for your budget.

A traditional funeral service can cost nearly $10,000

While the average funeral costs nearly $7,500, many traditional funerals cost in excess of $10,000.  Here are the main components typically associated with a traditional funeral:

  • casket: $2,300
  • funeral director’s basic services fee: $1,400
  • embalming and body preparation: $600
  • viewing / visitation ceremony: $400
  • funeral ceremony: $450
  • transportation (pick up body, limousine, and hearse): $625
  • miscellaneous (certificates, permits, music, clergy, obituary, register book, service folders, obituary, flowers): $500
  • grave site $1,000
  • fee to dig grave site $500
  • headstone $1,500

The above costs represent national averages for many of the costs associated with a traditional funeral service.  Your actual costs could be higher (or lower) based upon geographic location, the funeral home you select, and the actual items you purchase.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

Categories : Funeral Planning Guidance
Tags : , , ,

Negotiating a discount from the funeral home and cemetery.

Posted by Mike 
· June 30, 2021 

Contrary to popular belief, most funeral directors are willing to give discounts to families that ask in an appropriate manner.  Many goods and services provided by a funeral home can easily be discounted by several hundred (or even several thousand) dollars before the funeral home starts to lose money.  Since most funeral homes buy their merchandise from the same few suppliers, they should be able to sell their goods and services for a similar price.

However, if you come across a particular funeral home that is selling its merchandise for considerably more than other funeral homes in the area, they may be a good candidate for negotiating a lower price on funeral costs.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

Categories : Tips to Lower Funeral Costs
Tags : , , , , , ,

Lower funeral costs by taking advantage of any military benefits.

Posted by Mike 
· June 27, 2021 

Before spending thousands of dollars at the funeral home and cemetery, check to see if the decedent qualified for free funeral items from the government.  Why pay for something the government is willing to provide for free?  After all, the decedent has already earned it!

Many military veterans are eligible for free grave spaces and headstones.

You can search online for information about military benefits or check out section five of the Funeral Saver’s Kit.  It’ll show you which services and goods are provided at no cost by the U.S. government and how to claim your benefits.

Note: be aware of so-called “free grave” scams that are sometimes offered to veterans.  This is where the veteran is offered a free grave site, but upon death, the family has to pay an unusually high price to have the grave site dug.

Watch out for scams

Because many surviving spouses want to be buried next to their deceased spouse, the cemetery may also double the price of all surrounding graves.  This allows the cemetery to make up any profits lost on the veteran’s “free” grave.

Not surprisingly, these scams end up costing surviving spouses and children thousands of unexpected dollars every year.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

Categories : Tips to Lower Funeral Costs
Tags : , , , , ,

Get smart about funeral prices.

Posted by Mike 
· June 24, 2021 

I’ll admit that gathering information about funeral prices is harder than it should be.  In addition, funeral homes and cemeteries are subject to different requirements when it comes to providing you with information about their prices and options.

Funeral prices are not set in stone

If you only take away one thing from this article it should be this: funeral prices can vary greatly from one funeral home to the next.  This means a funeral service at one funeral home can cost thousands of dollars more than a similar service held at another funeral home right down the street….so it pays to shop around!

Why most people don’t compare funeral prices

Unfortunately, most people do not compare prices between funeral homes.  This is understandable for a couple of reasons:

  • We don’t like to talk about or plan for death
  • Funeral plans often need to be made quickly – this can be especially burdensome when the death was unexpected
  • Most people simply do not know enough about funeral planning to even know what questions to ask or what items to compare
  • No one wants to be perceived as being cheap when it comes to making funeral arrangements for a loved one

However, you should approach the process of buying funeral goods and services just like you would any other major purchase – take the time to educate yourself as to the options and prices available in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, many funeral homes and cemeteries are reluctant to share their prices with you unless you use specific language when making your request.  They know they stand a much better chance of selling you an expensive funeral if they can first get you into their office before providing any information about funeral costs.

The good news is that there are specific things you can say that will force the funeral home to give you their price information for FREE….and no funeral home would ever dare give you a sales pitch when you use this specific language.

There’s an easy way to gather information about funeral prices

If you’re using the Funeral Saver’s Kit you’ll find a simple chart that clearly explains an easy (and low stress) way to collect pricing information from any funeral home in your area.  The kit tells you exactly what to say to ensure you get honest information at no cost to you.  You can use this to collect information from every funeral home in your area or just those that interest you.

The best advice I can give you when it comes to collecting funeral price information is this: DON’T be afraid to pick up the phone and call it least three funeral homes in your area and ask them for a copy of their “general price list”.

Each funeral home’s general price list will describe services and merchandise in similar terms.  This makes it easy to compare relative prices between competing funeral homes.  Also, if a funeral home gives you a hard time about giving you information about their prices, forget them.  That’s a good clue they know their prices will not compare favorably to their competitors.

Remember to compare your local price information to the actual price ranges included in the Funeral Saver’s Kit…so you can be certain you’re getting a fair deal.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

 

 

Categories : Tips to Lower Funeral Costs
Tags : , , , , , ,
Next Page »
Funeral-Tips.com
Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved