When a loved one has passed away, often the last thing you are thinking about is choosing a funeral home. Most people do not take the time to properly select a good funeral home, however, if you take the time to choose carefully, you can save hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars on funeral costs. Along with saving money, you will also be able to find a funeral home that can meet all of your needs, leaving you and your family satisfied with the decision.
Before selecting a funeral home it is important to remember that just because you have worked with a particular funeral home before, it does not mean that they are the best fit to accommodate you and your family.
Shopping for a funeral home should be like making any kind of major purchase, you should do some research beforehand and set a budget. The most common mistake people make when purchasing a funeral package is hastily finding the first funeral home they come across and then accepting whatever funeral package the funeral home sells you.
Step 1: Determine Your Budget
Funeral costs can vary drastically, not just from funeral home to funeral home, but also by funeral type. The cheapest disposition method available is the direct cremation often available from a “Cremation Society” rather than a funeral home.
Before finding a funeral home, it is important to consult with your family and determine a set budget. It helps to know if your family is on the same page with regards to the size of the funeral and keeping the cost of the funeral within a range.
Step 2: Know Your Rights as a Consumer
The best place to start is the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, made specifically to help protect people from the sometimes shady tactics of funeral homes.
The most important part of this legislation states:
- Consumers are entitled to an itemized ‘General Price List’  which list the prices of all their goods and services
- You only have to buy the goods and services you want
- You can choose not to have embalming
- You have the legal right to purchase a cremation urn or casket elsewhere, the funeral home has to accept this alternative and cannot charge additional fees
- Receive a written statement of each individual service or good being purchased before paying for anything
It should be noted that some funeral homes will overcharge by a lot for caskets and cremation urns. You are fully within your rights to use a cremation urn or casket that you have bought from elsewhere.
Step 3: Comparison Shop
If you are trying to plan an affordable funeral and not spend a lot of money on the funeral service then this is the most critical aspect of this entire process. Gather the price list from multiple funeral homes and compare them side by side to see which funeral home offers the most reasonable prices.
Note what is included in their service fees as these may vary significantly from one funeral home to the other. The more specific the line items, the easier it will be to choose a funeral service plan.
Make sure you are not overpaying for an urn or casket. You can order them online and have them delivered (often overnight) directly to the funeral home.
Step 4: Selecting a Funeral Home
People often select a funeral home because it is close to home, or has served the family in the past. It might seem easier to just go with what is most familiar, however, if there is a funeral home that is farther away from your family, but is $1,200.00 cheaper than another funeral home, I would favor it even if you have to drive an extra 35 minutes.
When choosing a funeral home the best place to start is online. Read reviews for funeral homes. Visit the funeral homes websites. Ask friends and family if they have any recommendations. Call the Funeral Consumers Alliance and see if any local funeral homes have had complaints raised against them.
When you are narrowing down your decision, it is easier to call the funeral homes rather than visit them to get prices but you will want to eventually want to visit the funeral home to get a better idea of the layout and décor.
Funeral homes always offer consultations which involve a meeting with the funeral director. This initial meeting is an opportunity for you to ask questions, learn more about the funeral homes services, and get a general sense of what the funeral home in question is like. The funeral director should be kind, empathetic, knowledgeable and compassionate.
Hopefully this article provided some insight into the most effective way to save money on funeral costs so that when the time comes, you can significantly decrease the amount of the total bill for you and your family.
If you are interested in more information about planning a funeral I highly recommend you read the article, How to Plan a Funeral from Beginning to End: A Step by Step Guide by Safe Passage Urns.
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