Expensive Funerals Cause Relatives to Do It Themselves – Funeral Cost Cutting Advice

Austerity, cut backs and expensive funeral costs all mean that the death industry is now Do It Yourself. As much as possible.

Poundland is clearly missing out on the trick of a budget funeral line, but in the meantime, Brits are resorting to cheap coffins, home wakes and back garden burials.

Research by SunLife, found that the cost of a traditional funeral has risen to an average of £4,078, making death a costly event.

“The fact people are cutting back on aspects of the funeral they can control – the type of coffin, the wake, the flowers – highlights even further the growing costs associated with the funeral itself,” Dean Lamble from SunLife said.

“Many people worry having a cheaper funeral is disrespectful, but the vast majority of us do not want money wasted on a fancy funeral.

“In fact, more than one in three people who have recently organised a funeral said they would want their own to be ‘as cheap as possible.”

More than 1500 people who have been responsible for funeral planning as well as 100 funeral directors took part in the research.

Cutting back on the flower budget, ditching the hearse and avoiding getting the body embalmed are three ways that costs are being slashed by families.

Others admit to slashing the budget for flowers, not using a hearse and even not getting the body embalmed to keep prices down.

Not getting the body embalmed will save £105 and having a direct cremation after death can cut crematorium bills by half.

The rigidity of religious funerals is also relaxing with a third of people having a celebration of life instead.

SunLife recommend reducing funeral costs in the following ways:

1. Have a direct cremation
This is where the body is cremated immediately after death, without a funeral service, saving an average of £1,761.

2. Hold a wake at home
Rather than having the expense of hiring a venue, you can save money by holding the wake at home instead. If it’s a nice sunny or dry day, you can also use your garden.

3. Make your own food
If you do hold a wake, you can save money by not hiring a caterer to make the food for you. Get together some of the family or friends and make sandwiches and nibbles to serve instead.

4. Choose a cheaper coffin
Coffins can be an expensive part of the funeral, but there are cheaper options away from the traditional casket. Cardboard coffins start from as little as £100.

5. Don’t embalm the body
Embalming the body is a traditional practice but not essential. You could save around £100 by choosing not to have the body embalmed.

6. Cut back on flowers
Flowers may look nice, but for many they can be seen as an unnecessary expense with many now requesting donations be made to a cause close to their heart rather than flowers being purchased in their memory.

7. Have fewer pallbearers
To cut back on costs, ask for fewer pallbearers, or even do it yourself by asking friends or relatives to carry the coffin instead. Not only does this save money but it can also add a more personal touch.