The Tougher Thread continues.....

mardatha

I thought the bloody stuff would cook faster/be less smelly in the bloody pressure cooker. I have clingfilmed the remains and am wondering if the chickens would be quite that desperate... :rotfl:
Re funerals, I have a very serious aversion- bordering on mania- to sitting in a church. If they get me inside one I will scare the bloody life out of them at the funeral. And after it.

Mrs_Chip

OMG, poor chickens :eek:

EstherH

Ceridwen, I haven't caught up with the thread past your post about paying for your parents funeral so don't know if anyone else has answered but, a funeral can be paid for out of money in the estate before the estate goes to probate. If your the executor of your parents will the bank will allow access to pay for the funeral if they have money in an account. If they are well off they probably have a few thousand in an account. If your not executor whoever is should be able to access the money to pay for the funeral. Some insurance policies will pay out pretty quick too without a grant of probate. It is always better if someone has put everything in order but you should be okay even if they haven't left a specific funeral plan.

Oh, see others have said the same sort of thing. Hope it puts your mind at rest.

Katkin_2

I know some people find it very tough to talk about death, wills and funerals. It has been discussed with my parents for as long as I can remember as my DB and I used to joke about how to split it all up. I'd get the house and he'd get the cash. Parents thought this was hillarious. DH is absolutely not amused and leaves the room when we start to talk about it.

All this talk has given me serious thoughts though about getting a will drawn up. Saw the 'free draw a will up' week stuff on MSE and looked into it. The information on wills and what happens if you dont have one was quite perturbing. definately worth a read if you are not really sure.

Dont know how to post links on here, but I am sure if you search the main site you would find it. I do not want my money going where its is not supposed to go - if I had any that is

Aesop

mardatha - do you have a steam cooker? that is where I cook my veg.

Ches

ceridwen wrote: »

Specifically re those funeral costs - would it be possible to pay into an "insurance" scheme specifically for that? (obviously checking first to see if the money was safe if the firm went bust. Though obviously I've never heard of funeral directors going bust - as the demand will always be there for that).

As a couple - you do have to think of that 'tis true. As a single person I can get away with thinking "I dont have to bother about that - the money to pay for all that is there okay - its just tied up in my house equity". I would have to bother if I were married and an OH had to pay OR if I were in rented accommodation. But I figure a 6-figure amount of money tied up in my house ownership will easily cover it - with loads to spare:rotfl:. I presume this £6k-£7k figure is for both of you? I dont know whether you have children or no. If you do have adult children - then you need to ensure both of you are "covered" one way or another (either with savings or insurance). If there are no children - then it would be sufficient to cover just one of you (provided you didnt have to specify which one that would be of course...) and let the house equity cover the 2nd one come the time. With children - then its different - as they would panic about where the money was to come from to pay bang on the dot at the time and couldnt wait for "house equity" to be released to cover it. So - if you do have child/ren - then you need enough money set to one side (one way or another) to cover both of you - as you wouldnt be able to let the house ownership do so for you.

As an OAP - I believe you are entitled to savings of up to £16,000 without being means-tested out of any benefits due.

But - as you say - it is a problem wondering how to "protect" whatever savings one has. Have you found the group www.saveoursavers.co.uk ?

The amount quoted was the figure I saw in the newspaper recently and it was for 1. If it was just for me I wouldn't bother either as the house is mine so any costs incurred could be paid from the sale but I have to consider OH who if I die first has the house until he goes. Neither of us qualify for any benefits and I wouldn't even if I lived alone.
I will explore that link tomorrow thank you. In the meantime life ambles on and we had corned beef hash for tea. Very 40's.

Gingermillie

Sorry, I probably should have made it clear that the "I thought I'd have to pay for everything" comment was what I thought at the time, not how it actually works. Apologies if I panicked anyone. And thanks Charliesaunt for putting sense to my ramblings. I'm blaming the combination of a dodgy neck cutting off the blood supply to my brain and maybe an eensy bit too much alcohol. It is Friday. And I have been very good with the never-ending stews this week.

Ches

I'm thinking of Bye Bye Baby or Dream a Little Dream to go out to but DH says he & my two sons will outvote me and play Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead!!!!

:rotfl:OH insists he wants "Wish me luck as you wave me Goodbye"

grandma247

I worry that my dh's brother will die and leave us with the funeral bill. he has claimed disability benefits almost all his life and is now on an early pension. I cannot find much info but it looks as though we would only be entitled to £750 for funeral expenses. He is not reliable enough to pay a funeral plan. He would find another use for the money. I suppose we should put a little money by in case the worst happens as his health has deteriorated the last few years and he has aged rapidly. He has the mind of a child but can look after himself physically.


Those modern trousers always remind me of a baby in a soaking wet terry nappy!

Softstuff

Ceridwen, I was going to post re funeral costs, but everyone beat me to it! I've organised a couple now, and neither required payment from me, the funeral directors in both cases waited for money from the estate. Thankfully. Incidentally Ches was bang on the money cost wise, for 1 person. There are a lot of costs you don't know about until you organise one. I feel like I've had some sort of funeral organising apprenticeship.

ceridwen wrote: »

I did bethink myself "Hope no-one takes my own personal intention to 'hang onto my bits' come the time the wrong way and sure SoftStuff knows me well enough by now that she won't".

No, they're your own bits and entirely yours to do with as you please .

I think the stories of peoples organs being taken prematurely are just a bit of an urban horror story though, which is a shame, as it puts people off donating. There are so many checks made by multiple people before it happens. I know that I'm unusual in having no emotional attachment whatsoever to my bits, once I'm brain dead I have no concern at all what happens to me (turn me into Soylent Green for all I care), but in effect that's why there's an organ shortage too. I confess though, when you said you wanted to make arrangements not to be found for a few days, I did have the thought "I hope Ceridwen never has any cats...." .

It feels like I was up all night drinking, but it was only 1 glass of wine with the in-laws and they left at 8.30 :rotfl:.

We had the most incredible thunder and lightning last night, never seen anything like it. It makes thunderstorms in England look like a little light rain.