Doing my Will - why are there no free funeral options??

[Fragmentedbrain]

Ok I know this is unreasonable in a way because we can't just have bodies cluttering the streets. But also I didn't ask to be born (sorry to channel my inner teen). Why can't there be a straight to landfill no charge option? I've never had a single thing subbed in my life and I don't want a funeral (I'd be too socially anxious to go in life so would be hypocritical to ask anyone else to go) so why can't there just be a simple disposal option.

Getting old is really dispiriting

Direct cremation? Low cost, no fuss.

Well if you don't have the means to pay and neither can your family, there is a government grant for a very basic funeral/cremation. Usually called a paupers funeral.

If someone dies and there are no funds to cover funeral costs, the local council or hospital can arrange a "Public Health Funeral" (also known as a "pauper's funeral"). This involves a basic funeral, often a cremation, with the local authority covering the costs. It's a last resort, typically used when there are no family members or friends available or willing to pay for the funeral, and the deceased's estate doesn't have sufficient funds. AI.

You don’t have to have a funeral though. I’m not having one, in fact my mum doesn’t want nor does my sister.

Waste of money, although I like the thought of a wake so people can get together and eat some sarnies etc.
Coffins are a waste of wood and money.

Well it's going to cost someone something to dispose of you so it's not going to be free!
Direct cremation is the cheapest, unless you are accepted by medical science.

You could walk out to sea like Reggin Perrin, John Stonehouse and Harold Holt did. Although you would need to plan ahead...

Bodies have to be disposed of properly. You can't just chuck them into landfill.

Direct cremation is the cheapest option. 1400 quid with the funeral place we use.

A friend of mine lives in Sweden and they pay an annual fee, a bit like council tax which includes a fee towards the cost of their funeral. It’s such a civilised way of doing things. I wish it happened here but everything here is monetised.

If you are old enough to be making a will, you're old enough to be past the Keving the teenageer "I didn't ask to be born" stage.

Because disposing of a body costs money - a direct cremation is from 1000 to 1500 and does what it says

the free option is donating your body for science which does exist

Cardboard coffins are a thing. They look like wood and aren't like an Amazon box. I was quite impressed.

Well it depends on your councill how you are charged but we do have to pay to put things in landfill here so when that’s not entirely free.

I do empathise with the desire for a simple, quiet and discreet exit.

If you donate your body to a university medical school they pay for all disposal costs so it's 'free'

A great aunt of mine did this.

They even hold a short 'funeral' although no one attends apart from the person conducting it.

Go and see some local funeral directors, ask lots of questions. I visited 4 and bought a direct cremation plan, no funeral as such, with the one I liked best.

I also rang the local crem’ just to find out how much my funeral director would be paying. Back then it was £900.

If you know someone with an estate car or van, it’s not illegal to wrap you up & take your carcase, by prior arrangement to the crem’,
Ask about that.

You being born wasn't free - your mother most likely has NHS care throughout pregnancy and gave birth either in hospital or with a midwife at home. Your birth probably cost about 10 to 15K in NHS care.

Look up prices for a direct cremation with your local crematorium. Mine will get rid of your body for a couple of hundred quid, early morning slot with no ceremony. If you go through funeral directors, obviously it will cost more.

That is civilised!! Planning ahead. Although I still think just feed me to the crows.

No but I literally didn't ask to be here it's annoying I can't just depart unnoted

The science donation thing is appealed, tho I'd heard that universities have an excess at the moment

I don't think that a vaginal birth in the early 80s was that expensive tbh

I think as part of national insurance contributions there should be a budget that gives every citizen the basic direct cremation, you can then add to this to pay for any other extras you’d like.
ie £2.50 per month tax = £30 per year x average working life (45years) = £1350

You can't expect your corpse to be dealt with without any cost whatsoever being incurred.

So do the crem officials pick up your body from the hospital/your home etc? Or do you (well, your rellies) have to deliver it to them, perhaps in the back of their van as suggested upthread?

To be fair if you've got the money to pay for your body to disposed of then why shouldn't you pay for it? You're dead and so not spending it on anything else. If you don't have the funds then you can have a public health funeral paid by the council.

Because I don't want to. Which is extra irrational cos I really don't care what happens to my cash post mortem either. I just resent there being a big fanny on about it all. Let the wildlife devour me!

A funeral isn’t really for you though, it’s for the people who love you to be able to mourn, celebrate you, start to move on…whatever they need really.

I would happily not have a funeral and just be cremated for whatever that costs. But I know my family would want a funeral so they can do whatever they want when I’m gone.

I would suspect you can just arrange for a funeral home to pick up a body and cremate it and this would be low cost. The last funeral I organised was only 4k but had everything you would usually expect; service, cars, funeral home access, coffin, flowers, cremation fees etc…so realistically the cost should be significantly lower than this for just a cremation with no service