The Cost of Funerals

Not sure if this is the right part of the Forum for this subject but as we all tend to touched by death at some stage I felt I wanted to alert you to something I recently discovered regarding funeral costs.

We have just had to arrange the funeral for my MIL. We went to the funeral directors and they explained the costs involved in the funeral and they were several thousand and the sky was the limit if you wanted lots of extras.

My husband used to in charge of Parks and Cemeteries for a Local Authority and he rememebered that, some years ago, ALL local councils had been made to offer a Municipal funeral. This was to be a low cost, standardised but dignified funeral provided by whichever local funeral director won the tendering process. If you look on your Local Authorities website you should be able to find who won the tender in your area or just ask any funeral director you find in the telephone book. Hopefully they would tell you.

The FD we went to initially had won this tender and was offering the Municipal funeral at a fixed fee of £800 but they had not mentioned it as an option until we asked them. They made it sound as though we were wanting to put Mum into a paupers grave the way they used the words "Municipal Funeral".

I asked them what the difference was between the funeral at a few thousand and the one at £800 and they admitted NONE!
Same things, same cars, same people.
Collection of the deceased from within the Borough or a 10 mile radius
Embalming, dressing and a place in the chapel of rest with normal veiwing facilities
All arrangements at cemetery
A hearse and 1 car
The funeral service
a cherry coffin with engraved nameplate, handles and lining
transport of the deceased and immediate family to church or chapel prior to burial or cremation
The only additional fees are doctors fees and burial or cremation fees and the vicar but this was the case with the expensive option too.

We opted for this option and it was a lovely and dignified funeral. The funeral directors staff were lovely and did not do anything in a rush or a disrespectful way. It WAS the same as we would have got if we had paid thousands.

Don't let yourself be bamboozled into thinking you have to spend thousands at a sad time.

They are preying on people's grief and the feeling that you have to do the best for the deceased loved one out of respect. We are delighted that we can now spend the money we did not spend on the funeral on a nice headstone instead. Something the family can visit and appreciate in the future instead of lining the pockets of the Funeral Directors unecessarily.