After my father passed away suddenly, my mother, siblings and I all struggled with planning his funeral. We were already in a state of shock and sorrow, and then we were overwhelmed with the options and decisions we had to make in regards to the funeral. Luckily for us, we worked with an amazing funeral home and funeral director who helped guide us through the process. I know how hard it is to plan a funeral and how many decisions need to be made. This website was created in order to give families preparing to lay a loved one to rest a guide of sorts that will help them determine what decisions will need to be made and information about those decisions. I extend my sympathies to you if you are in this position and hope my website helps to make things a little bit easier for you.
Losing a loved one can be an incredibly difficult period in your life, especially if you are unable to cover the expenses. A lot of people find themselves in this situation, as the average cost of a funeral in the United States is approximately $6,600. You can typically tack another $3,000 on that price tag when considering common expenses like headstones and grave sites. If you are in a bind after the sudden death of a loved one and want to get help paying for funeral expenses, consider some of these ways that you can get the money together to fund your relative's funeral, so you can pay your final respects and seek closure.
#1: Opt For Cremation, Rather Than Burial
If you want to seriously cut into your budget to pay for the funeral, go with cremation, as opposed to burial. Cremation is significantly less expensive, as the Cremation Association Of North America estimates cremation costs at $1,650 with a memorial service and less than $800 without one. To further trim the costs, make sure that you have the service somewhere like a park or a church, rather than paying expensive fees to have the service in a more formal establishment.
#2: Find Out What Government Benefits You May Be Entitled To
Depending on the circumstance of your loved ones death, you may be eligible for money from a number of government agencies. For instance, the government will pay $255 for people who lose a child under the age of 18. Further, people currently receiving social security benefits may also get help from the agency in order to handle the funeral. If the loved one was an armed forces veteran, one of those branches may also help assist with funeral costs.
#3: Write An Obituary
When you publish an obituary to announce the death of a loved one, you can also mention that you are accepting donations. This can be particularly helpful if the person who died was well known in the community. By doing this, you'll be able to pay the funeral home and give your loved one the time of send off that they deserve, without having to come out of pocket or go through a lot of stress to come up with the funds yourself.
With these three tips in mind, talk it over with your other family members, to see which options make the most sense for paying funeral expenses in the event of an untimely death.
Share23 March 2015
