Posted by on February 19, 2009
Choosing cremation with services has advantages and disadvantages. In many ways this choice combines the benefits of traditional funeral services with the cost savings associated with cremation.
Cremation with services: advantages
Choosing cremation with services can be more therapeutic than choosing direct cremation for some families. Because this choice includes some type of remembrance ceremony (e.g. a viewing or funeral ceremony), many families find this more comforting than direct cremation.
The viewing or memorial service allows friends and family to share in commemorating the life of the deceased and gives friends a chance to comfort the family.
Cremation can also be much less expensive than a full traditional funeral. Choosing cremation allows you to eliminate many costs associated with funerals including the casket, gravesite, cemetery fee, and headstone cost.
Many people also consider cremation a more environmentally-friendly option because no land is disturbed for burial purposes.
Another benefit of cremation is that it provides portability of cremains. If surviving family members move away, they can easily take cremated remains with them.
Cremation also allows for a wide variety of disposition options. While some families do decide to bury cremains in a cemetery, most families simply take the cremains home. However, many other options exist. Please see the Funeral Saver’s Kit for a complete discussion of cremation options.
Cremation with services: disadvantages
Cremation also has its disadvantages. Choosing cremation with related services will always cost more than choosing direct cremation. Because cremation is less profitable for funeral homes, they often try to sell families unnecessary and expensive add-ons. This is much easier to do when the family chooses cremation with services.
Also, if the family does decide to bury cremated remains in a cemetery, they will still need to purchase grave space and pay for the installation of a headstone or grave marker. However, costs are usually lower when burying cremains than they are for burying a casketed body.
Depending on the type of services you choose, cremation with services can trigger costs such as an expensive casket (if you choose to have a viewing ceremony of the body prior to cremation), embalming, funeral home fees, and the cost of an urn.
This article highlights the main issues you need to consider when choosing cremation with services. Many people prefer this arrangement because it combines memorial benefits with the savings associated with cremation.
However, just like any other funeral home service, you need to make sure you fully understand what you are getting for your money. You can learn more about reducing cremation costs in the Funeral Saver’s Kit.
Posted by on February 17, 2009
This article explains cremation with services. Families choosing cremation have two options: direct cremation or cremation with services.
Cremation with services often includes elements similar to what you would find in a traditional funeral; however, instead of a casketed body serving as the focal point of ceremonies, the cremated remains are the centerpiece of a memorial service.
With cremation the body is exposed to high heat and reduced to the consistency of sand. In the case of cremation with services, the cremation itself could occur after a traditional funeral has been held or the body could be cremated first and the cremains used as the focal point during a memorial service.
A memorial service is any type of service that commemorates the life of the deceased while an urn containing the cremains (i.e. ashes) is in the room. A funeral service is any type of service that commemorates the life of the deceased while the casketed body is in the room.
Depending on the timing of cremation, the body may need to be embalmed. If the body is cremated before any type of formal ceremony is held, embalming is usually not necessary. If cremation takes place after the body is viewed, embalming is usually required.
To summarize: cremation with services
When you choose cremation with services the body is removed from the place of death to the funeral home or crematory. The body is then prepared for viewing and visitation, followed by a funeral ceremony and then cremated.
Alternatively, the body could be cremated immediately upon arrival at the funeral home and the cremains used as the centerpiece in a memorial service.
Click here to learn more about cremation.
Posted by on February 5, 2009
This article will discuss the costs involved in choosing a direct cremation. There are two basic ways to arrange for direct cremation: through a funeral home or directly through a crematory. A crematory is a business that only performs cremation services.
Generally speaking, most funeral homes do not perform cremations themselves. Instead, they contract out their cremation services to a crematory and include the crematory’s fees as part of the funeral home’s bill. Many times the funeral home will add a separate handling fee to the crematory’s charges.
This means it’s usually less expensive to arrange direct cremation through the crematory. Doing so allows you to eliminate any extra fees from the funeral home.
Average Direct Cremation Costs
The average cost of performing a direct cremation through a funeral home is between $1,600 and $3,000. Costs can run as high as $5,500 if you purchase a casket to be used in the cremation.
The average cost of performing a direct cremation through a crematory is between $1,000 and $2,200. Again, costs can be significantly more if you cremate the body in an expensive casket.
From a practical standpoint, there isn’t a good reason to purchase a casket for use in a direct cremation. You’ll be fine using a less-expensive cardboard box, sometimes referred to as an “alternative container.”
Posted by on February 3, 2009
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.
You can learn more about the cremation process in the Funeral Saver’s Kit.
Posted by on January 29, 2009
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. You can find many creative cremation options in the Funeral Saver’s Kit.
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.
