Funeral cost help

mrsyardbroom

I know this sounds awful but a friend went to several funeral directors in the area and got all the prices from them. She chose the cheapest and then beat them down to their rock bottom. The funeral cost her around £1500. She was able to choose a coffin that could be recycled, ie used for someone else. If you're thinking it's a bit cheapskate her mother would have approved wholeheartedly.

Mojisola

mrsyardbroom wrote: »

She was able to choose a coffin that could be recycled, ie used for someone else.

Do you mean the body was taken out of the coffin before the cremation? I didn't think that was allowed.

marliepanda

Mojisola wrote: »

Do you mean the body was taken out of the coffin before the cremation? I didn't think that was allowed.

Its usually a cardboard coffin inside a fancy casket.

An attractive outer casket contains a biodegradable cardboard coffin. The coffin is taken out of the casket following the funeral ceremony and cremated or buried. At no time is the coffin or the body disturbed.

As the coffin and body are not disturbed it is fine. They reuse the 'casket' which is the 'coffin' you see.

mrsyardbroom

Mojisola wrote: »

Do you mean the body was taken out of the coffin before the cremation? I didn't think that was allowed.

Yes, they re-used the coffin. I imagine the body was in some other container when it was put into the cremator.

mrsyardbroom

Exeter City Council has some information on this. http://www.exeter.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1526

treecol

Thanks all for trying to help. The reason we spent our saving whilst caring for him was that our savings to begin with meant we were not entitled to benefits. Then when we were below the threshold, we claimed, but as monies from my late mothers estate were in executors accounts, for my dad's use, but in my name due to his lack of mental capacity, DWP investigated & kept repeatedly calling me in for interviews. Despite being able to prove to source of the money & who it was being used for, each time I had to go in ( which was getting more & more often) I had to pay for carers to be with dad. I think the DWP knew if they kept the pressure on, I'd stop claiming & I did - caring is stressful enough without them.
Anyway, the funeral director has now halved the cost, which shows you what they can do.

specialboy

Too late now but it may help others, you can do a funeral yourself for around £7-£800 by booking the crem yourself and using an estate car or man with a van to transport the coffin (homemade)

Bollotom

Google 'Municipal Funeral'. If you can't afford to pay, there's a law says councils have to. Can't quote the exact law but google it and then phone the council. Also, as said, look up funeral grant and bereavement allowance.

mrsyardbroom

specialboy wrote: »

Too late now but it may help others, you can do a funeral yourself for around £7-£800 by booking the crem yourself and using an estate car or man with a van to transport the coffin (homemade)

It depends on the crematorium. Our local one charges £760 for a cremation. You can take the funeral service if you want to and they will play the music of your choice but this would cost extra. You can put whatever you like on and around the coffin. I made up some posies of flowers from our garden to place on my brother-in-law's coffin last week. It was a simple and very personal ceremony. My husband placed a bouquet of golden rod on the coffin as these used to grow in their mother's garden. We didn't have an officiant or an organist and this saved about £300.

If you don't want to do it yourself you can usually choose a simple funeral for around £2000. The Co-op will also give a small discount for members if you give them your card.

I do know someone who wanted a very basic funeral. His coffin was made of plywood and was made by a local builder. He was laid to rest inside the coffin on a bed of wood shavings and he went away in the back of someone's Volvo car. Apparently a brand new shiny screwdriver was used to screw the lid of the coffin down.

stevemLS

Bollotom wrote: »

Google 'Municipal Funeral'. If you can't afford to pay, there's a law says councils have to. Can't quote the exact law but google it and then phone the council. Also, as said, look up funeral grant and bereavement allowance.

It's the Public Health Act 1948 - although according to my post intending to help, I should be ignored