What To Do When You Cannot Afford A Loved One's Funeral Expenses
The cost of holding a funeral for a loved one is often an overlooked expense. No one really likes to think about death, and the thought of paying for memorial services is one that can be overwhelming if the time comes and there is not enough money available. Here are some ideas to help when a loved one passes away without prior plan about their funeral expenses.
Check Their Money First
You will first want to check to make sure that your loved one did not plan for their own funeral expenses without your knowledge. If you know of a will that your loved one had written, there may be specifications written within it to lead you to your loved one's wants regarding a funeral. In some cases, people will see a funeral home in advance and set up prepaying a funeral so loved ones would not need to worry about the expense. If your loved one never mentioned this to you, you will still want to search to make sure it was not done without your knowledge.
Call Funeral Homes
Call several funeral homes in your loved one's hometown area to see if there were any prior payments made. While on the call with each funeral home, you will want to ask about costs for each type of service they provide in order to start figuring out what you will be doing regarding a ceremony. Keep this information written in a list because you may have to refer to it again after you have figured out how to fund the ceremony. Many funeral homes will want you to pay for a service up front, without the option of a payment plan.
Opt For A Simple Ceremony
If funds are a huge issue, you could always have the funeral home do the embalming and burial, but hold the ceremony itself at a different time or at a different place. You would still be doing customary burial practices, but instead hold a memorial at your home or in a church without the body being present. This would save the funeral home from needing to drive the body to different locations, saving you some money.
Consider Cremation
Cremating a body costs less than it does to do an embalming and burial. You would also save money on the cost of a casket, as the body would be reduced to a smaller size, needing only an urn or decorative box to be housed. Some states have programs in place that will help pay for cremation for a loved one if you do not have the funds. Make sure to call the social service or welfare office in your town and see if your state and county qualify for help.
Offer The Body For Medical Use
You could donate your loved one's body to a medical facility for students to be able to learn the process of operating and other doctor-related tasks. While this may seem a little extreme, if you have absolutely no money to hold a ceremony of any type, you would have the satisfaction of knowing your loved one's body will be handled in a way that it will be used for an important purpose. Many schools will also return the cremated remains to you after the body has been used.
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