money saving funerals

Gers

margaretclare wrote: »

My late daughter had a wicker one, made of bamboo. Apparently bamboo is a 'renewable resource' because it grows like a weed in the countries it is native to, so it was very 'green'.

A little off topic but here's a link to bamboo clothing - I wear a lot of it in winter as it's very warm and light.

http://www.bambooclothing.co.uk/why_is_bamboo_better.html

And on topic here's a link to bamboo coffins - just the first one thrown up by the search engine. Other links are available!

http://www.naturalendings.co.uk/bamboo-coffins.asp

sheep-ali

margaretclare wrote: »

My late daughter had a wicker one, made of bamboo. Apparently bamboo is a 'renewable resource' because it grows like a weed in the countries it is native to, so it was very 'green'.

We were advised by the funeral director not to have wicker as it has a tendency to creak! :eek:

We opted for a woollen one. Appropriate as my mother was a shepherd.

Be very wary if expecting help from DWP as there is no help available if anyone in the family is not on qualifying benefits. I found this out to my cost despite being assured by local office that we would definitely get help.

beedeedee

I'd like my ashes to be made into a diamond - I'll be around for ever then!

themull1

i'm donating myself to science. Obviously after i'm dead!! i want the cheapest possible option.

devildog

FiL had a cardboard coffin with rope type handles. Didn't quite know what to expect re the cardboard, would it actually look like cardboard-can happily say it looked like a wooden coffin. Was burried in a woodland environment.
I am more than happy to have a cardboard coffin myself(it is only going to be cremated) and I cannot see the point in paying large amounts for something that is either going to be buried or cremated.

sloegin

What about the things taken for granted at undertakers'? I really don't want embalming or make-up. Ideally I want to be laid out on our dining room table , then carried across the road to our village church to lie in the cool till the burial service, then carried outside and put in the ground. We don't need the extras. How possible is this?

Farway

sloegin wrote: »

I really don't want embalming or make-up. Ideally I want to be laid out on our dining room table , then carried across the road to our village church to lie in the cool till the burial service, then carried outside and put in the ground. We don't need the extras. How possible is this?

Maybe in January, but I expect the smell of a decomposing body in July / August would have Health & Safety, as well as local populace, up in arms

Gillingham

Why is it that no one gets an estimate before agreeing to a funeral? My uncle died recently leaving only his two elderly sisters. He died in a nursing home and they rang and said we had to get an undertaker to remove his body immediately after certification of death. I have a prepaid funeral so I just rang that undertaker as I felt that I knew him. We had a basic coffin, one hearse, one car, one bunch of flowers and a cremation. Total cost £3,200. That was before anyone got a cup of tea!

I feel sorry for all the very old peple who have paid insurance for years and think they wil be leaving enough to bury/cremate them. Most policies pay well short of today's funeral costs. I live in the North East and I am sure that funeral costs will vary across the country.

My Aunt has had a paid up policy for some time and decided to get a value for it. She nearly fainted as it was only worth £1865 and she started it off years ago. I am trying to get her to buy a prepaid funeral.

All my friends thought I was mad because I bought three prepaid funerals a couple of years ago. One for me, the husband and my Mum. At least I know I won't be leaving anyone with a lot of financial worry at what is already a stressfull time.

margaretclare

sloegin wrote: »

What about the things taken for granted at undertakers'? I really don't want embalming or make-up. Ideally I want to be laid out on our dining room table , then carried across the road to our village church to lie in the cool till the burial service, then carried outside and put in the ground. We don't need the extras. How possible is this?

This is the way things used to be done. It was considered respectful to the dead. But it does involve burial much quicker than is common nowadays. The Jews and the Muslims still insist on a funeral within 24 hours or as close to that as possible, while everyone else can be shoved in a freezer or something. I went to a cremation a couple of years ago and the poor man had been dead for 3 weeks because of a backlog at the crematorium. I was horrified.

This is the way it would be done if you opted for a 'green burial'. Much less delay, embalming etc not allowed because of fluids leaching into the ground, and buried wearing natural fibres. See http://www.woodlandburialparks.co.uk/Epping-Forest-Burial-Park/News.ice

Errata

I'm told any 'backlog' at a crematorium is only for the popular time slots. Very early or late in the day timeslots are generally readily available.
Embalming is only done if the person arranging the funeral requests and pays for it.