In this article we’re going to talk about funeral expenses and how to get a handle on them so they don’t eat you alive.

There is an old joke that goes “the only thing certain in life is death and taxes.” Obviously whoever made that remark never got to meet a rich man with more tax loopholes than the United States has illegal immigrants. But one thing in life is certain and that’s death. And with that certain death are the certain expenses that come with it.

Over the years funeral expenses have skyrocketed to the point where the average family literally can’t afford to die. Well, there is a way to get a handle on your funeral expenses and that is the focus of this article.

You may or may not know this but there are over 20,000 funeral homes in the United States accounting for over $25 billion in revenue annually. That money doesn’t come from cheap funerals. It comes from expenses that are insane when you think about the actual service being provided.

There are actually three corporations that dominate the industry; SCI, Stewart and the Loewen Group. These three giants account for about 15% of the total funeral business in the United States. The reason you probably haven’t heard of them is because when they buy up a funeral home they usually keep the old funeral home’s name in order to give the impression of a small family owned business. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. And because they have basically taken hold of the industry, they can charge whatever they like for funeral services. How much?

Let’s take a metal casket. If you take the cost of a metal casket, materials and labor, the casket actually only costs about $450 to $700 to make. This same casket is sold to families for about $3,000. That’s well over a 400% markup. If any other industry tried to get away with this they’d be shut down.

But the insane costs don’t stop there. A hearse that costs about $25 an hour to rent will be billed at a rate of about $200 per hour. Flowers that cost about $25 are sold for about $150. The clergy will charge you a couple of hundred bucks for his services. Then there’s the burial itself. Opening the grave costs money as does lowering the body into the ground. By the time you’re done a simple no frills funeral can cost you close to $10,000. The actual physical cost of the services provided to you are maybe $2,000.

What is a poor family to do?

The best way to get a handle on expenses is to actually get as little from the funeral home as you can. For example, there is no law that says you have to get a casket from the funeral home. Try going to a wholesaler or online. You can get a very good deal on caskets and save hundreds of dollars.

The same with the flowers and hearse. Go to an outside florist for your flower arrangements and to a private rent a car company for your hearse and limos. Most likely you will end up saving lots of money there too.

As for the cemetery expenses, there isn’t much you can do about that. But by saving money in other areas your $10,000 funeral can be knocked down to $8,000 or even $7,000. The disadvantage is that you’re going to have to do a lot of work on your own that the funeral home would have normally done for you. But if saving money is your first priority then this is the way to go.

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In this article we’re going to discuss something that has become a growing trend in the United States. Do it yourself funerals.

It is no secret that funeral costs in the United States are through the roof and the sad truth is, many people can’t afford a lavish funeral. Some can’t even afford a bare bones funeral. For these people, and these reasons, do it yourself funerals are becoming very popular in the United States.

So, just what is a do it yourself funeral?

It’s pretty much what it sounds like. It is a funeral that you handle completely on your own, within reason as there are still some legalities that have to be abided by in the United States.

One of the legalities is that for any person who dies in the United States, a death certificate must be issued by a certified medical examiner. The cost of this is relatively cheap and in some cases can be done away with. The death certificate charges vary depending on the state that death occurs in.

After that, there are no particular requirements for interment. A person can either be buried or cremated. However, and this may come as a surprise, there is no law that says that a person must be buried in a cemetery. There are certain health codes that have to be adhered to during a burial, but as far as location, a person can be buried in your back yard if you so prefer.

The truth of the matter is, until the 1900’s, death was a family matter. The body would usually be on view in the living room until the time for burial. There were no big funeral parlors with fancy ceremonies. As time went by the funeral industry took over this time of death in a family’s life, butmany families are trying to take it back.

Families are starting to build their own coffins. They’re nothing fancy, usually just made of wood. For those who are not particularly religious they don’t even use clergy. Instead they write up their own funeral services and perform these services themselves. Inside their home made coffins the family will usually put items belonging to the deceased.

Burial itself is a little more tricky as permits are required to bury the dead on private property, but they can be gotten after a lot of red tape has been cut. At that time it is perfectly common and okay for a family to bury their loved one underneath the cyprus tree in their back yard.

For those who think that an undertaker needs to be part of a funeral, this is true in only eight of the 50 states.

As for those on a really tight budget, these people usually turn to cremation and keep the ashes in an urn somewhere in their home. Cremations are relatively cheap, at about $700.

Yes, do it yourself funerals are becoming the rage for many people today, and as funeral costs continue to skyrocket it should come as no surprise.

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As more funerals are followed by cremation, the plain brass urn to hold ashes is being replaced by sculptures, picture frames, pendants, wind chimes, sundials and even teddy bears.

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