Funeral Planning Checklist

Planning a funeral is never as easy or straightforward as you might think – there’s a lot to it you know, and often it’s at a time when you’re feeling extremely emotional and not in the best frame of mind to tackle such a mammoth task. But it’s got to be done.

More and more people these days are pre-planning for their funerals, which means that not only is the money side of things taken care of, but also many of the major and minor details. This might seem a little unusual to some people but it does mean that your family and loved ones aren’t left to organize the arrangements at such an emotional time.

Funeral Planning Checklist

The first thing to remember when planning a funeral is that there’s no law which says that you must use a funeral home – did you know that? You’re perfectly entitled to organize everything yourself, although many people just couldn’t face it and rely on the expert help of professional funeral homes to make the whole process as painless as possible.

If you do choose to leave things to a funeral service planner, then you really shouldn’t settle for the first one that comes to mind. By shopping around a little you might be surprised at just how much you can save – why on earth waste money at such an important time, funerals can be so costly anyway that any saving can make a big difference.

Whether you’ve just lost a loved one, or are getting things ship-shape for when the time comes for your own passing, here’s a funeral planning checklist to make sure that you haven’t forgotten any important details:

• Funeral home - shop around and compare prices and services from at least two. Ask for a written price list for all of the products and services they offer – they are obliged by law to provide you with one if you ask! Compare the lists carefully.
• Your rights – do vary from state to state, so be sure that you know what you’re rights are for wherever you live.
• Emotional spending - is easily done at this time, but do resist the temptation. Don’t be persuaded to buy anything which you don’t actually need, the amount you spend does not equal the amount of love you have for the deceased – remember that.

And now to the “nitty gritty” of the costs involved in planning a funeral:

• Funeral home services
• Embalming – this is not required by law and is only really necessary if you want to have visitations of the deceased. If you plan a direct cremation, for example, where it takes place quickly after death, embalming is completely unnecessary
• Burial clothes – if you are having embalming and visitations then the body will need to be dressed. Some people pay for expensive robes, others use a favorite outfit of the deceased.
• Visitations – if you choose to have visitations at the funeral home, you will need to pay for a room etc.
• Funeral service – the costs involved for this obviously depend on where it is to take place. Some families simply choose to have a small private memorial service some time later, it is not necessary for the body of the deceased to be present.
• Casket or Urn – the casket is one of the most expensive parts of the funeral. If you choose a hardwood or metal casket (mahogany for example) it will be quite expensive, but soft wood caskets are much cheaper.  By the way, you are entitled to buy your casket from anywhere you want and have it delivered directly to the funeral home, you don’t have to buy one of theirs, and they can’t charge you extra for handling it either!
• Hearse and limousines – you will have to pay for the transportation of the body, and mourners if necessary
• Floral tributes
• Burial plot – if needed
• Grave liner or burial vault – these are mandatory in many cemeteries as they are designed to prevent the ground from sinking as the casket decomposes.
• Opening and closing the grave – you need to pay the cemetery for these services, you’re not allowed to take your own shovel, there’s an art to it you know!
• Monument or memorial – of your choice.

Of course, there are also other incidentals which may crop up, but that just about covers the major expenses involved in planning for a funeral.