A typical funeral in the UK will cost over £4,000 these days. Of course, this is just the average figure and some people spend much more than this to give their recently departed loved one the sort of send-off they think they would have liked. Nevertheless, you do not have to pay anything like this amount if you don’t want to. Some people are able to organise a very satisfactory service and wake on a much smaller budget. It simply depends on the sort of things you include and what you leave out.
According to one expert in the field of funeral planning services, Newrest Funerals, just by making some better-informed decisions about what should feature in a service, you can get a very high-quality funeral without spending money needlessly. All too often, it seems, we spend money on elements of a funeral that don’t mean that much to us simply because it seems the right thing to do at the time. Planning a funeral is often a hard thing to do, after all, so gaining some expert advice from a compassionate professional can go a long way into helping you to bring the overall cost down. What are the main ways you can save without skimping?
1. Stage a Direct Cremation
There are statutory requirements when it comes to funerals including the disposal of the body because this is a public health concern. By far the cheapest way to proceed is with a direct cremation since no plot will need to be paid for. If you want to save even more, then ask about a direct cremation. Although no mourners can attend and there will be no formal service, you can collect the cremated remains afterwards and stage your own simple ceremony to disperse them somewhere suitable with friends and family.
2. Choose a Cheap Coffin
People spend a lot of money on coffins. They often spend much more on ornate caskets! However, when you remember that they are either designed to be interred or to be burned, then this can seem like an extravagant waste of money. Instead, why not go for a cardboard coffin? They are much cheaper and more ecologically sound, to boot! What’s more, they look fine especially when they’ve been adorned with a few flowers.
3. Ask for Volunteers to Act as Pallbearers
Funeral directors will charge to provide skilled pallbearers at a funeral service. However, you don’t have to cough up for this service. Instead, you can ask around ahead of the funeral to find people who will attend and do the job instead. You have to be reasonably physically fit but it doesn’t require any special skills or know-how to do the job.
4. Host Your Own Wake
After the funeral itself, many people hire a function room and bring in outside caterers. A good way to save money is to do this yourself, either in your own home or that of the recently departed family member. Catering at a wake need not be fancy, either. A few sandwiches plus tea and coffee is more than adequate if that’s all you can afford.
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