What to Do if You Can’t Afford a Funeral

It’s always difficult to have to deal with the loss of a loved one. It becomes even more challenging if you are unable to afford funeral costs. The average cost of a basic funeral is about $7,000, which covers only the basic logistics, such as coordinating with a cemetery, preparing death certificates and certain notices and getting permits. The costs really start to add up when you factor in transportation for the funeral, caskets, urns, securing a space for the service, catering for the service and various other services for the ceremony and memorial.

If the person who passed away did not have funeral insurance, their estate will typically pay for funeral costs, meaning those costs will be taken out of the sale of assets or from their checking, savings or investment accounts. However, if the estate does not have sufficient money to pay for the funeral, whomever signs the funeral contract will be responsible for the balance, which can be a big burden.

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to lessen the costs for which you’ll be responsible. Here’s some information from a funeral home in Lake City, FL about what you should do if you can’t afford certain funeral expenses:

• Cremation: Cremation instead of burial costs significantly less money, and just several years ago surpassed burial in popularity for the first time—likely because people have finally realized how much less expensive it is. The average cost of a cremation is typically several thousand dollars less than the average cost of a burial.
• Green burials: So-called green burials are becoming more popular as a less expensive alternative to standard burial. This involves burying the body un-embalmed in a biodegradable coffin or shroud—the least harmful burial process for the environment and significantly less expensive than what you’d pay for standard embalming and burial.
• Whole body donation: There is always the option to donate a body to science, which means you won’t have to pay for any burial costs. However, medical institutions may refuse donations if the deceased had a certain disease or condition.
• Life insurance: You can cover the costs of your own funeral expenses if you take out a life insurance policy that includes stipulations for coverage of funeral expenses. This can save your loved ones a significant amount of stress after your passing.
• Personal loans: If you have good credit and feel comfortable in your ability to pay off a loan over a few years, a personal loan can be used for funeral expenses. Ideally you wouldn’t have to go into debt to cover the costs, but it is an available option.
• Crowdfunding: You can ask for contributions to the funeral, either through crowdfunding sites online or through asking friends and family members to contribute. Tell them exactly how much you expect the funeral and burial to cost so they know just how much their assistance is needed.

For more information, contact ICS Cremation & Funeral Home in Lake City, FL, or pay us a visit today.

Categorised in: Funeral Homes

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