The cost of death ?

Incyder

Biggles wrote: »

Try Googling 'Greenwood burial' and your county. There are an increasing number of these sites all over the country.

thanks for that Biggles.

I went to the local cemetary today and had a good walk around reading all the names and having a look generally.
I am ruling it out as pointless for me. And expensive.

I wish to be cremated then scattered over the spot where my dog is buried in some woods near me. I therefore need to be assured that the ashes will be just mine and not mixed up with some other folk. I also need to have ideally 2 people who know the spot exactly to sprinkle me afterwards. It's not easy to find, and they would need to be shown by me first. Quite tricky if I get hit by a dustcart tomorrow. :rotfl:

I think setting aside just 2k will cover it.

Today has been very enlightening and quite enjoyable, oddly.

Cmdr_Bond

Why not go out there with a GPS an record the co-ordinates and put them in your will?

Mikeyorks

Incyder wrote: »

Today has been very enlightening and quite enjoyable, oddly.

Perverts live longer - so no need to rush with the £2k! Enjoyable -indeed.

I have an affinity with the River Tees. Spent a lot of time going blue when swimming in their in my younger days. My wife reckons I'm going over 'High Force' (the large waterfall up close to the source). But I don't go close to the edge these days ..... as she hasn't clarified if that's in 'ashes' or still breathing form.

Goldenyears

In addition to the usual undertaker/cremation fees (£2300 in our case) for my mother we paid I think about £150 to the stone mason and £400 fees to the local authority for a municipal cemetery plot (2010 prices) which my father still living would eventually use. He can't own the plot though at his decease. That has to be someone living at the time of the burial or who specifically inherits the plot in his will, which may come to the same thing. In our case my sister already owns the plot.

ironlady2022

Incyder wrote: »

thanks for that Biggles.

I went to the local cemetary today and had a good walk around reading all the names and having a look generally.
I am ruling it out as pointless for me. And expensive.

I wish to be cremated then scattered over the spot where my dog is buried in some woods near me. I therefore need to be assured that the ashes will be just mine and not mixed up with some other folk. I also need to have ideally 2 people who know the spot exactly to sprinkle me afterwards. It's not easy to find, and they would need to be shown by me first. Quite tricky if I get hit by a dustcart tomorrow. :rotfl:

I think setting aside just 2k will cover it.

Today has been very enlightening and quite enjoyable, oddly.

Incyder, 2k may cover it today but will not cover in the future. Best to pay it off then you are leaving your loved ones with no debt or hassle.

BFDMBIE

More and more cemeteries are running out of space and as such more and more cremations will take place, the cost of a cremation varies between local authorities by quite a large amount.
If you want to keep costs to a minimum then you need to be looking at a basic funeral package, Hearse straight to crematorium, no limousine's, no minister, get a friend or family member to stand up and say a few words about the persons life. Rather than buy flowers suggest donations to a charity. Newspaper notices are expensive too.

LadyAL

Have you ever thought of having a green burial, it's much cheaper than a normal funeral. Your friends and family can be totally hands on in digging the graving and then refilling it. They can totally control the whole funeral, doing the eulogy and everything!!
Plus, being 'Green' it completes the whole cycle of life, everything goes back to nature. Instead of a headstone you plant a tree or dedicate a bird box. Definately the way to go and you can pre-book at todays prices. No ongoing costs after because the Park goes back to woodland so no maintenance charges.

Simples!!!!

Biggles

LadyAL wrote: »

Have you ever thought of having a green burial

He will have thought of it if he read my post at #11!

But I think what you are talking about, a DIY funeral, is a step further. Most greenwood burial grounds are operated in much the same way as a cemetery, in that the undertakers will have the grave dug for you. That's probably necessary in most cases, for obvious reasons, though less necessary in the OP's case, as he's talking about scattering of ashes.

But certainly you can do the eulogy, as is quite normal these days; we also used a humanist 'celebrant' (found via www.humanist.org.uk) to oversee it and to give the whole thing a touch of formality/respect without going down the vicar route.

bendix

In what other society would we be encouraged to worry about what costs we face when we die?

You die. End of the issue. Does it matter if you're put in a twee plot in the Buckinghamshire countryside, or end up getting minced into the next batch of Pedigree Chum?

You're not exactly gonna notice, are you? And who is going to chase down any debt?

Dekazer

bendix wrote: »

In what other society would we be encouraged to worry about what costs we face when we die?

You die. End of the issue. Does it matter if you're put in a twee plot in the Buckinghamshire countryside, or end up getting minced into the next batch of Pedigree Chum?

You're not exactly gonna notice, are you? And who is going to chase down any debt?

I don't wish to speak for others, but I personally see the appeal in knowing that all the arrangements are paid for in advance in order that my loved ones would not need to stump up for it. It all depends on one's circumstances (currently I would be covered by my employer's death in service cover), but if I thought my family would be financially disadvantaged by my death, I would want to ensure that I left them sufficient to cover it - or paid in advance!