Advice needed for a low cost funeral

Horasio

My Stepdad died today and my mother wishes to do the cheapest funeral you can have.

Who are the best undertakers etc? We don't want to be ripped off and only having a very small funeral.

Is there anything you can claim towards costs?

What is the procedure?

Errata

Info on funeral grants here http://www.help.entitledto.co.uk/viewhelp.aspx?sid=4&helpfile=funeralgrantaward

Costs can be cut by having the cheapest coffin, no cars except the hearse, no notice in the local paper, not providing refreshments for mourners afterwards, no flowers.
I can't comment on 'best' undertakers. My local town has two and they charge identical prices.

margaretclare

I agree with what Errata writes.

There is a tendency nowadays for funerals to be held a couple of weeks or more after death. I wonder if costs could be cut by insisting that the funeral takes place as soon as possible? This would be understood if you're a Muslim or a Jew, but for the rest of us the reality is, the dead person has to be kept in the funeral home for longer, kept cold, maybe embalming fluids used, all adds to the cost.

It's possible to be buried more quickly if you opt for a 'green burial' because embalming fluids are not allowed.

Just a thought.

Horasio

Thank you for your replies

She wants a basic cremation in the Bournemouth area, then back to hers for a small wake.

I doubt she is eligible for benefits but she did get a death allowance when my father died in 2002.

margaretclare

Suggest she asks for the cremation as early as possible, then (see my post above).

We went to a funeral at Portsmouth last spring - because of a backlog the poor man had been dead for about 3 weeks. It freaked me out. I thought it was so disrespectful.

Errata

Cremation costs in my area are standard, no matter what time or day they take place, and I would guess that funeral directors have a standard price for chapel of rest.

monkeyspanner

Although most people use a funeral director you don't have to. All the arrangements can be made with the service providers by the family e.g. cremation/burial. You can also buy coffins as a separate item.

I have noticed that small family firms of funeral directors can be a lot cheaper than the big firms with fancy chapels of rest etc. We recently had a basic funeral director service provided by a husband and wife team and cremation with a hearse/driver but no cars and the family providing the bearers (sons and grandsons) for just over £1500 inc vat. I was surprised by the cost of death annoucement and flowers, £55 and £180 respectively. A friend printed orders of service on their computer and all we bought was some paper. Then we paid £75 for an interment of the ashes in a family plot.

Another family member recently paid nearer £3000 with a larger firm and you would not have noticed a substantial difference in the funeral.

If you would like a DIY arrangement I came across this site recently.
http://www.funeralsuk.com/Alternative_Green_Funerals/DIY%20.htm

rosie-lee

If you don't want a religious ceremony, most County Councils offer a civil funeral service. In Lancashire it costs £100.

teresaevans_2

Hi, Please accept my condolences on the loss of your step father.
For best information on arranging a funeral on a budget, that is not necessarily related to a 'green' funeral, but just a basic and respectful one, I have found that the Natural Death Centre gives good practical guidance or the Good Funeral Guide which is run by a brilliant chap with no commercial agenda. Both can be googled online.
Do please contact your local authority and ask if they are members of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management and support the Charter for The Bereaved, which will inform you of your bereaved rights.
If your Mother is responsible for paying for the funeral, and is in receipt of a state benefit, she may qualify for a funeral payment from the social fund. Not many people know this, but they are able to make the payment direct to the person responsible and paying for the funeral, if that person is conducting the arrangements independent of a funeral undertaker.
For what its worth, unlike many people, I do not believe that one needs to spend a great deal of money in order for the deceased to have been buried/cremated with dignity and propriety.
Best of wishes to you.
Teresa

Slinky

We've been arranging a funeral via the Co-op. Their most basic funeral costs about £1500. If you are a co-op member you can get points on your membership card (worth joining just to get these) and we were told if you pay within 28 days of their invoice, you'll get £77 discount (not sure if this was off the basic funeral plan, we went for something a bit more than this).

We are also digging the hole for interrnment of the ashes in the family plot (came about through a chance conversation with the vicar), the deceased would have been pleased about this.