Planning the funeral of a loved one can be difficult. When coming to terms with loss, many of us struggle to think straight. As a result, even the most organised and meticulous people can make mistakes when planning a funeral. Below are just some of the biggest mistakes to avoid when making funeral plans.
Not taking the time to shop around
There are many funeral homes out there to choose from. Shopping around allows you to find the right funeral home for you. If you simply go with the first funeral home you find, it’s possible that you may not get the best deal. Rates can vary a lot from funeral home to funeral home. It’s worth also factoring in the reputation of a funeral home and the range of services they provide. Carry out this research with a friend or family member if you don’t have the energy to do it alone.
Not asking necessary questions
There may be questions that you need to ask a funeral director while planning the funeral service. To ensure that you don’t forget these questions it could be worth writing them down on a notepad. This ensures that no important details of your loved one’s funeral are overlooked. Questions could include inquiries into individual costs, inquiries into laws or rules surrounding certain types of funerals or even definitions of terms such as ‘viatical’ and ‘gasketed casket’.
Not keeping to a budget
Whether your loved one has put money aside or you are paying for the funeral yourself, it is important to have a budget in place. The costs can easily mount up if you don’t have a budget and you could end up spending more money than you can reasonably afford. Your loved one likely wouldn’t want you getting into financial trouble just to fund their funeral - be realistic about what you can afford and keep within this spending limit.
Not personalising the service
If your loved one made no funeral plans, you may find it convenient to simply opt for a traditional funeral service. However, there are likely to still be small ways in which you can personalise the service to make it a more meaningful tribute to their life. Allow yourself time to think of all the ways you could personalise the service such as creating a collage of photos, playing their favorite music or serving their favorite food/drink at the wake. You don’t want to be kicking yourself after wishing you’d added these personal twists.
Not planning in advance
You don’t have to wait until someone has passed away to plan their funeral. You could help a dying relative to plan their funeral, working with them while they are still alive to arrange the service that they want. You could even plan your own funeral in advance to ensure that your service goes exactly how you want it to. You don’t even have to wait until you are old and ill - in fact, you can start planning your funeral at any age. On top of planning the service, you could consider paying into a prepayment scheme, opening a trust fund or making life insurance contributions, allowing you to pay for your funeral in advance so that your loved ones aren’t burdened with the cost.
