How to Hold a Low-Cost Funeral

At Suicide Cleanup, our job is to provide professional cleanup services and decontamination at crime scenes, suicide scenes and accidents.

These types of tragedies are always an emotional shock to the family. Our cleanup costs are generally covered by homeowners’ insurance, commercial insurance or a victim’s crime fund. Then, the high costs of an unplanned funeral or memorial service are left to a grieving family or a single bereaved mother.

If you’ve recently lost a loved one due to a tragedy, know that we’re sorry for your loss.

Here, we’ll discuss how to host a low-cost funeral or memorial service. We’ll talk about the price differences between cremations and burials, and explore ways the families can move forward with the grieving process, even when money is tight.

Cheap Burials & Cremations

Every state has different laws, and every region has a different market. But in almost every case, cremation costs much less than a traditional burial. However, if interment in the earth is important to the victim’s family – for religious reasons, for instance – it can still be done on a budget.

Explore these low cost funeral ideas with your local family funeral home:

• Direct burials occur when a body is immediately put in the ground. There is no viewing, no ceremony, no cosmetology or embalming performed. The family can still host a memorial service at their home, or a favorite park or meeting place.

Low-cost caskets are another way to hold a cheap funeral or service, and families can build or bring their own. Pinewood is usually the cheapest, but 20 gauge steel is also affordable. Understand that:

• There are only a handful of casket manufacturers in the US.
• The materials and quality of caskets from one funeral home to the next is very much the same.
• So a 20 gauge steel casket at funeral home A is essentially the same item as a 20 gauge steel casket at funeral home B.
•  Furthermore, you can buy those identical caskets on the internet! 

Federal law prevents funeral homes from charging you extra if you want to bring in a casket from outside. However, funeral directors are a savvy bunch.

Most will have a special economy package that includes a direct burial and low-cost casket for a lower price than what you could get online.

That package will have none of the costly “bells and whistles” of traditional funerals, many of which you can do yourself anyways.

The Costly Funeral Extras You Can Do Yourself

Funeral homes are in business to make money. Granted, it’s an incredibly challenging and emotionally draining business that requires thorough education, interrupted sleep, and nerves of steel.

We admire funeral professionals. But there are portions of a burial that can be done by family or omitted, if you’re in a challenging financial position and looking to save some money.

• Family members can create memorial cards, prayer cards and programs – those paper items associated with a professional funeral. You’ll need basic printing software (PrintMaster is about $50) and heavy paper called cardstock. So, with an investment of $75.00 or so, you can create all your memorial paperwork, and have software and paper left over. If you’re not sure how to download software, or not the best typist, ask any millennial in your family for help.
• “The Casket Spray” floral arrangements – flowers are a significant money-pit. Floral sprays on a casket can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000, and they won’t last more than a week. Consider designing your own using faux flowers. You’ll spend far less money, and have a keepsake that will last for decades. Or you can always just skip the flowers entirely.

Remember, the most affordable way to deal with the death of a family member is cremation.

You can host a private memorial in your home or at a park, now or later. But even the costs of cremation can vary significantly from one funeral home to the next, so call around.

Federal law requires that funeral homes are straightforward about their prices, so call a few different mortuaries before making your decision.

At Suicide Cleanup, we serve shocked and grieving families every day.

We understand the difficult position you’re in, and we’re ready to help.

If you need professional crime scene cleanup services, unattended death cleanup services, or blood cleaning in your home or business, contact us.

We answer our phones 24 hours a day, and we understand your situation.

Our team is always willing to use our years of expertise in the field to help you navigate a difficult situation, including sharing all of our tips and knowledge on holding an inexpensive, low-cost funeral or memorial service for those in need of a cheaper alternative to costly services.