To think funerals are outrageously expensive?

[crunchymint]

I have been shocked when organising a funeral at how expensive they are. Even a basic cremation with no service costs a £1000. A very ordinary funeral will cost about £3,000. It is a lot of money.

Just make sure you purchase your own funeral plan while you are still alive to make sure your own family don't suffer from this.

@katseyes7 as I understand it, leaving your body to medical science isn't straightforward - there are lots of criteria to meet first - they're a fussy bunch haha!

It must be awful to have to worry about the costs involved when you've just lost a loved one - to anyone that's found themselves in that position

Jesus unless you really hate them does anyone actually begrudge the cost of a funeral?

Exactly, they are dead. If you are spending the money on them, you're pissing it away.

I hope I do get thrown in a box in the back of a hatchback and dumped down the crem. I won't fucking know about it.

No point in my children being thousands of pounds worse off because of silly pointless rituals.

For the record you totally can get cardboard box caskets. And they're customisable! Still bloody expensive for what can't possible cost more than a couple quid to make.

as I understand it, leaving your body to medical science isn't straightforward - there are lots of criteria to meet first - they're a fussy bunch haha

getting a bit big for their boots...back in the day they'd happily dig over an old cadaver out the ground.

I think it’s crazy too, a lot of people can not afford £1000 let alone £3000.

This is why it’s important to have death cover with funeral cover or to put back money so your family don’t have to pay for it when your gone. I would hate the thought of my children having to pay to bury me.

@NewYearNewMe18

You're paying for the coffin, cars, pall bearers, flowers, collection and storage of the body, embalming, make up, staff costs (leave, pensions, sick pay), the celebrant/vicar/priest, collection of the ashes, the casket.

But if you want to put your dearly beloved in a cardboard box, pop it in the back of your hatchback and lug them into the crem, then no one would stop you.

Yep, this is what I will be doing, and I would hope this is what my family will do if I go first. Not going to be lining the pockets of some overpriced funeral director. The cheaper it can be done, the better.

@DonutCone

Jesus unless you really hate them does anyone actually begrudge the cost of a funeral?

What a supremely ridiculous comment.

When my dad died, the least we could do was make sure he had a good funeral, it’s a way of saying goodbye and it would have been awful if we scrimped in anyway. It cost in the region of £5k (I think) but my neighbours also had a collection and gave my mom some money so she put that towards the headstone. It wasn’t about the money. We needed to do it for dad x

Also for the record - you can all purchase your funerals from a funeral parlour today - no need to make your kids worry about money. That's what i'm gonna do. iT'S really selfish to dump that on your family.

Ive just checked for my area, its £860 direct cremation,

If there is no estate you can apply for a public health funeral.

My extended family are still arguing about funeral costs among 7 siblings, its been the source of so much ill will as promises to pay werent honoured and fall outs over flowers.

Im so grateful my mum was able to prepay, not everyone is able to.

My dad’s funeral last year cost £6000, all the money he had left, but my mum insisted on burial, where as my dad had always said he want cremation.

And here come the 'we spent a shitload of money on our relative, because we loved them more than you love yours' comments.........

I don’t think it’s about begrudging, like so many things in life it’s about priorities. I could afford a very expensive funeral for my mum when the time comes but she will get the very cheapest one going. We’ve discussed this and we did the same for my dad. He was much loved and vehemently against wasting money on anything including funerals. My children and DH know to do the same for me. I would much rather they spend any money they have on themselves than lavish it on a posh casket or flowers that will mean nothing to me.

That being said I know some people take comfort from giving loved ones a good send off and I think the funeral industry cashes in on that.

The cost of funerals has soared in recent years, so I suspect some of the costs people have paid were a bit ago. I know our council has put up the cost of cremation every year way above inflation as an easy way to earn more money. So the cheapest you can pay is £1000, and that means transporting the body yourself. Few people will do that.

Jesus unless you really hate them does anyone actually begrudge the cost of a funeral? So it's £1k. They are dead.

Hence why spending thousands is falling. I'd rather spend that for a nice time with the same people when I'm alive and go the £75 route once I'm dead.

I will leave strict instructions for no funeral. I hate them and find them really distressing rather than healing.

DonutCone
An attitude of superiority is unbecoming. Shockingly crass one might say. I’ve read plenty of posts from crunchymint. I don’t think she’s complaining, rather shocked as she says in her op.

And my family could not care less about having a good send off. They would rather people spend money on having a good life.

*galling not falling

The unfortunate reality is not everyone has that kind of money to spend on their lost loved ones. After my granny passed away, and my mum spent an eye watering amount, my parents actually put money into a special fund for their funerals. They didn't want us kids having to fork out for it! But I know not everyone has that option.

If my family spend their much needed money on that I will come back and haunt them.

I’m with you Turtle. I want my kids to have any money, to do with what they want.

If medical science can’t use my body, then I am to go the absolutely cheapest way (and hopefully chucked in the back of a car to the crematorium).

I kind of feel that I want people to see me when I am still here, when I am gone I won’t know what’s going on, because I will be having way to much fun in the next world ~ or there will be nothing so I still won’t know.

I know it’s not always the case, but I have saw people going to funerals of people they have not made an effort to see or speak to for years and it can strike me as a conscience salve.

I know I am weird though, as I actively hate funerals. I have found, for me, they cause more pain and grief to get through the service. I know loads of people get something and find closure , but I haven’t and because of such, I am having a direct crematorium funeral, with no people/flowers or anything. I want my kids at some point to go somewhere where I liked and think of me, be it a beach/gardens or whatever, but that’s it.

Sorry for the rant there!

Where is the figure of £75 coming from?

Where are you only paying £75 for cremation?

That is the actual cost of the cremation. Tri-borough agreement not to charge the fee for child funerals.

Actually I'm incorrect - its £35

www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/15415416.South-east_London_councils_are_helping_bereaved_parents/

I feel the same as you Weepatches. I don't like that my last memory of someone is their very sad funeral.

What happens to the body if you can't/won't pay for a cremation?

lindalee3

Don’t know if your comment was aimed at me, I genuinely didn’t mean to cause offence with my comment. I don’t in anyway believe that the more you spend on the funeral means you love the relative more, it was just what we wanted to do, and fortunately between my mom, brother and I, we could.