Wise Bread is one of my favorite blogs because it is so interesting. My case in point is a recent post from one of their bloggers on DIY funerals. The writer breaks down how a low-budget funeral can add up to $8,000. Then he suggests a few alternatives, including making your own coffin.
Oh. My. Goodness.
I guess he didn’t know you can buy coffins at Costco. Read the post here. It’s quite interesting!
What do you think? Would you hold a DIY funeral?
Readers have also suggested other low cost options for those who don’t want to spend money on a funeral. One of the options I found particularly interesting is donating your body to science.
Normally, when you donate your body to science, it is to either a donor program or medical school. Whomever you choose to donate your body to, usually takes responsibility for the handling and cost of the cremation and the burial that eventually occurs. Families are often able to choose between having the remains buried at the school or returned to the family.
When you donate your body you are helping train surgeons and doctors. You body can even help aid in discovering new cures for diseases. This is obviously another great reason to donate your body, besides just the lower funeral cost.
The main problem I have with this is that the family is not given the option of holding a service where the body is present. For this reason, I’m not sure I’d be able to agree to this option. Even if I donated my body to science, I’m pretty positive that my family would still be interested in having a funeral service, so I’m not sure how much this would really cut costs.
Besides holding a DIY yourself funeral or donating your body to science there are other options to cut down on funeral costs. You could:
1) Ask funeral goers to refrain from sending flowers and instead ask for cash gifts sent to the deceased favorite charity or even to be pun in the deceased’s children’s college funds etc. Asking for cash gifts has become much more common. I have been to two funerals where this has been the case.
2) Hold a memorial service without the frills. Instead of paying the funeral home, make your own photo boards or video. You can also have family members speak instead of a priest or minister to cut costs.
How would you cut funeral costs?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
i dont think its that bad a family member recently died but there were a lot of mistakes made and we ended up having a coffin made it was nice and deep so u dident have to see when u walk by but you could still walk by with out seeing anytihng and its sad to admit they are still trying to over charge you in there tuff times
Way back in the 60s & 70s Whole Earth Catalog was the guide for simpler, more intelligent living for many people. I remember reading about a book on doing your own funeral then; it was written by a man whose background was the Quakers. When his wife died because of her wishes, he had made the coffin beforehand (they knew she was dying), they knew what was needed and were prepared. The family pickup truck was used for transport and family and friends followed after to the cemetary. It also said there are cardboard coffins (still true) available, and gave other low tech,low chemical choices. The love and reverence for his wife and for life in general really shone through. I want to be cremated but if I didn’t the thought of all that money for a fancy casket just seems an indulgent frivolity.
The problem with a DYI is that it requires we think and talk about death and funerals before the fact and many people are afraid to do that so they fall into the trap of trusting a funeral director plan everything for them.
i know there are people who want big fancy funerals the same way some people have to have big catered weddings and other parties–I’m just not one of them.
Good topic to bring up BB, people should think about it!
Thanks for your insight, Lynda. You make a good point about people not talking in advance about their funeral. This puts the survivors in a compromising spot.
Interesting concept. It makes me think that the Inuits had it right. Not sure if this practice is still in place, but there was a time when the elderly Inuits, when they felt their time was near and they were no longer able to be productive and keep up with their families, would simply disappear into the vast expanse of ice, lay down and succumb to the cold, and let the polar bears dispose of their worldly connection. That’s probably an extreme example of a frugal funeral, but if we look around the world to other cultures, we’re likely to see that there are many dignified alternatives to an extravagant and expensive funeral.
I know you can get discounted mortuary rates for some basic services through the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Los Angeles. The services available include cremation (from $645 to $1,045), direct burial ($880 to 1,350), and burial and service ($1,250 to $3,390) depending on the participating mortuary. Other fees and charges may apply depending on what services they provide. http://losangelesfuneral.wordpress.com/
Even “after death” membership is available. I believe other cities offer membership to similar organizations.
Cemetery charges are totally separate and can be very expensive (buying a plot and/or opening a grave site).
It’s good to know there might be death benefits in certain instances through Social Security, if the person is indigent, or if the person is a veteran. There are contact numbers and more information on the website.
Thanks for your insight!