Talking of funerals: The cheapest you could do one for?

[Saffy]

Quite seriously .. do you need a funeral director? Can you not sort it yourself. Why do you need big posh cars .. can you now borrow someone's van for the coffin?

[alternageek]

My grandfather pre-paid his funereal so it didnt cost us anything - except for changes in cost in tax. I think he paid for it in 1998 and it was for £3000 in total. He was cremated, but he did have a funeral procession.

 

Most funeral homes will recommend paying for your funeral in advance as you can decide what you want and it takes the burden off your family.

[Eater Sundae]

My grandfather pre-paid his funereal so it didnt cost us anything - except for changes in cost in tax. I think he paid for it in 1998 and it was for £3000 in total. He was cremated, but he did have a funeral procession.

 

Most funeral homes will recommend paying for your funeral in advance as you can decide what you want and it takes the burden off your family.

 

No surprise there, but I think they have other reasons. They are a business, after all.

[alternageek]

No surprise there, but I think they have other reasons. They are a business, after all.

 

No doubt, but Im sure they offer enough incentive to their customer to make it a valuable option.

 

I have a feeling the £3K funeral that was paid for in advance, would have cost us at least twice as much (and in my mothers case as she was coming from the US probably 3x as much with currency conversion) as just walking into any old funeral home.

[medusa]

You don't actually need to have a funeral at all by law. You can just request that your body be buried somewhere (and legally it could be almost anywhere as long as you aren't interrupting drainage or mains services) and a friend or family member can dig a hole and put you in it.

 

By law your body has to be properly covered, but that doesn't even mean that you need a coffin either. A shroud or body bag would do the job.

 

There are fees concerned with being cremated or being interred in a proper graveyard, but they are nothing compared with the cost of a coffin, hearse and funeral cars.

[WARANTED]

You don't actually need to have a funeral at all by law. You can just request that your body be buried somewhere (and legally it could be almost anywhere as long as you aren't interrupting drainage or mains services) and a friend or family member can dig a hole and put you in it.

 

By law your body has to be properly covered, but that doesn't even mean that you need a coffin either. A shroud or body bag would do the job.

 

There are fees concerned with being cremated or being interred in a proper graveyard, but they are nothing compared with the cost of a coffin, hearse and funeral cars.

The cost of a grave plot is about two thousand these days, paid directly to the council, from my recent experience.

[Plain Talker]

There is something called a "basic funeral service" which I seem to remember, all funeral directors are obliged to supply if the client requests it.

 

A 'Simple, Basic Funeral'

The Funeral Profession Code of Practice states that a 'simple, basic funeral' should comprise of;

- making all necessary funeral arrangements and providing professional advice

- removal of the deceased to a suitable resting place, allowing 10 running miles within normal working hours

-provision of a simple, veneered coffin and conveyance by hearse direct to a local cemetary or crematorium

-providing the funeral director and all necessary staff

-all necessary disbursements

 

it's "No frills", but it's the lack of "adornment" that appeals to me.

 

I've stated before, they can bury me in a cardboard box for all I care, when I'm gone.

[WallBuilder]

I'm a real Scrooge and so have decided to donate my body to medical science and so there will be no funeral costs at all, fairly easy to do.

[Noob]

Easier to just lob the body in the wheelie bin, let Bernard Road do the rest.

[Aries22]

If you don't use a funeral director, where do you keep the body while arrangements are made.