How Cheap can a Funeral Be !

smartiepants

Bogof-Babe "Not sure of the best way to approach the matter of a cardboard coffin"

Call it an environmentally friendly coffin!!!

smartiepants

whiteguineapig wrote:

when i mentioned this thread to my other half he brought up leaving a body to medical science. he seems to think this is free (if this is the case this could be where i'm bound if i pop off first) has anyone else ever heard of this as we have donor cards and i seem to think they might mention this and wonder if thats where he's got the idea

My Dad left his body to medical science quite a number of years ago, he has mentioned it to me and sis and bro lots of times and the paperwork was in his personal stuff, unfortunately he is in hospital at the moment with altzheimers and also has terminal cancer, hence the reason for looking at his personal papers, he would be amazed to realize that they wont accept his body because of the altzheimers and also because of the cancer, so his wish will not be possible after all, he would be devastated if he know. There are all sort of get out clauses for donation. When Mum died, we didn't have a hearse, We couldn't have faced following her body, so we had her coffin delivered directly to the crematorium and she was there waiting for us, it was so much better for us that way. We did want an environmentally friendly coffin too, but the undertaker said that it had to be ordered in advance and there was not enough time, we were too upset at the time to argue the point.

beadysam

Undertakers are not always the nicest of people in my experience. Any that are slightly unscrupulous can easily take advantage of a vulnerable relative at a painful time....
SAM xx

newfunk

beadysam wrote:

Undertakers are not always the nicest of people in my experience. Any that are slightly unscrupulous can easily take advantage of a vulnerable relative at a painful time....
SAM xx

I used to have mu own funeral business, and have to agree some of the undertakers in the profession shouldnt be!

Independent funeral directors are usually far better..I used to give the family what THEY wanted, not what i thought they should have, even if it meant my profits being lower! I did the job, because I loved it and was good at it, and not for the money.

carol_a_3

"Undertakers are not always the nicest of people in my experience"

My sister works for a funeral director and she often goes out of her way to help relatives with their (sometimes strange) requests and is a very nice and sympathetic person.

Ems*Honie

I read that some bodies that are donated to science can be used in the cosmetic surgery field,, (i cant recall exactly in which way, but I'm sure it had something to do with lips? I could be wrong though.) I thought this was disgusting, If I left my body to science then cosmetic surgery for burns of scarred victims would be fine,, but not for some womens pout to be poutier.

I love the woodlands thing,, I think thats where I want to be,, a walk in the wooods is lovely,, we take our babies all the time, seems sucha pretty , peaceful (in the true sense) place to stay

Thank you for the link

beadysam

Sorry if I offended - I didn't mean to. I personally have had more than one bad experience of undertakers myself, so I tried to phrase my comments in a way that reflected this rather than lumping the whole profession together. I also heve had good experiences.... In all fields where workers are trusted with dealing with the public at delicate times there is room for abuse, but in direct contrast (and the most likely scenario) most people who work in these areas are there because they love and care about their work, as it is certainly not for the money! I was trying to point out that there are nasty, predatory people out there who prey on those who are most vulnerable - this is often not realised until it is too late, or the person is already too upset to make a fuss. Once again I am sorry for any offence :silenced:
SAM xx

Liney_2

I have read about ecopod coffins, does anyone know how much they cost compared to a regular wooden one? I would want to go for the most environmentally friendly option but is it cheaper I wonder?

beadysam

I'm sorry but I deleted all the links I had when my mum died earlier this year, but I've had a quick look and some of these look interesting...

http://www.ecopod.co.uk/index.php?pageid=Home

http://www.eco-coffin.co.uk/

http://www.bamboocoffins.co.uk/

http://www.funeralassist.co.uk/Eco_Coffins_Woodland_Burial_Sites.htm

http://www.burymeright.com/content/getmestarted/links/

[Deleted User]

I sadly lost my lovely husband over two years ago.It was unexpected and very sudden, but I was lucky in that our local independant undertakers were absolutely superb.They were very kind to both me and my two daughters,nothing was too much trouble, even to staying late the night before, so my brother-in-law who had to travel a long distance for the funeral the next day could say his goodbyes in the Chapel of Rest to his brother. The bill came to about £2.400 which was apparently the average cost.We stipulated that we didn't want any flowers and the money donated went to the 'Friend's of the Medway' hospital where he died.The 'Friends' were so kind to me and my family I thought that rather than have a lot of money spent on flowers that would only die off at the crem. I know that my husband would feel that the money was better spent on the hospital.I had a lovely letter from them afterwards thanking us for the donations.
I think that it is sometimes useful to ask people locally about different firms, as it is one service that we all at some time or another will use.
I believe that my eldest daughter,who arranged it all, managed to get some sort of grant and although it didn't cover the whole amount it went a long way towards it.
When you think about it money really doesn't come into it as the last thing a family can do for their loved one is to ensure that their send off is a respectable one.
My girls know that I wish to be buried although my husband was cremated. My youngest daughter has her Dad's ashes, and when I shuffle off he is going in my box with me .We were married for nearly 40 years and we will be together again at some point in the future.
Not a cheerful subject I know ,but one that we all get to eventually, mind you I'm not going for a long while yet so himself will have to wait for awhile.
Cheers everyone