Funeral directors often call affordable funerals “low-cost” or “simple.” These give you a basic service level to process the remains of the deceased while also providing mourners with an opportunity to grieve over the passing of their loved ones.
As you might expect. affordable funerals differ significantly from traditional funerals. In traditional funerals, families must pay for venue hire, embalming, religious representative fees, and burial. In many cases, they can spend tens of thousands of pounds. But with affordable funerals, they avoid these fees, reducing overall funeral costs by 50 per cent or more.
What Makes Affordable Funerals So Inexpensive?
Affordable funerals can vary considerably according to the funeral directors providing them. However, they tend to have some common features. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect:
Direct cremation: The body of the deceased is usually taken directly from the morgue to the cremation facilities without “lying in state” or being visible to
No service: Usually, there is no service for no-frills funerals, helping to lower costs even more. Mourners can avoid religious and ministerial fees.
Less personalisation: The deceased may not have a gravestone or any other permanent markers, except, perhaps, an urn containing their ashes.
Should You Take The No-Frills Funeral Approach?
While the no-frills funeral approach might seem a little Spartan, there are many reasons why people still choose it.
The first is that it doesn’t eliminate the possibility of holding a service. If you want to pay respects and honour the death of someone that you love, you can still hold a private remembrance service or gathering at your home. Perhaps you could throw an event in their memory.
Second, most simple funerals still offer many of the accoutrements that our culture has come to expect. Funeral directors cleverly eliminate the most expensive elements while keeping those that have the biggest bang for the buck.
Thirdly, people choose low-cost funerals for financial reasons. They may not be able to afford a traditional ceremony, given their current circumstances.
Fourthly, even with the no-frills approach, you can still personalise the event. Nothing is stopping you from playing their favourite music, reading out a eulogy, or making your own memorial as you see fit.
And, finally, many people choose cheap funerals in accordance with the deceased’s wishes. Many people would prefer not to see their families go through financial hardship on their accounts.
This last reason is perhaps the most common. Many people say things like “I don’t care what happens to my body when I am dead” or “just bury me in a field somewhere.” Unfortunately, it isn’t legal to carry out a lot of requests like these, but funeral directors can reduce the price considerably with a simple, affordable approach.
In summary, inexpensive funerals certainly exist. What’s more, they are often the deceased’s final wish. If your loved one wanted a “no frills”, affordable funeral, get in touch with Stockman & Loram today. We are a family-run funeral service that is committed to achieving meaningful send-offs for the recently departed, without breaking the bank.
Alternatively, we can help you arrange your own low-cost funeral in advance, thus saving your loved ones the difficulty and expense of doing so at a time of bereavement. For more information about our pre-paid funeral plans, speak to our compassionate team today.
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