After a person has passed away, it’s time to take care of some of their final wishes. Many people make it known that they want either a cremation or a burial. Cremations often cost a lot less than burials, so if you are struggling to come up with funeral costs, this may be the best route. Getting affordable cremation and burial can be difficult, but it’s possible to call around and find a funeral home that will allow you to hold a lower-cost funeral. Cremation after death may be done by a funeral home or by a separate cremation company.
If you are choosing cremation, or your loved one let you know in advance that they want cremation, you need to make all of the cremation arrangements. This part is generally straightforward and doesn’t require a lot of decision-making. The cremation burial cost may be the largest cost associated with the funeral. This can often depend on whether you are interring the ashes somewhere or will simply take them home. A place for interment will come with a cost of its own. Many people like to scatter the ashes after cremation in a place that the deceased person liked best.
The weather in Omaha has turned cold again and you had to get into the closet full of hats, gloves, and coats. The closet with the cardboard box. The one on the top shelf, shoved to the back. The box you try really hard not to think about. But even though you’ve pushed the box back so far into a closet that only gets opened during the coldest of months, you never really quit thinking about its presence. Never really quit thinking about the promise to your mom that you never completed. The promise to spread the rest off her ashes in two of her favorite locations. One, the finish line of her favorite racetrack. Two, her favorite fishing spot. It’s these winter days that are the worst. You are in and out of the closet on a daily basis. And the winter is the time of the year when she was with you last. Maybe the difficulty is in the fact that 20 years ago you just were not familiar with cremations. Now, all of these years later, you are finally ready to focus on the ash remains of your mom.
While cremations may have been a little less familiar 20 years ago, there has been a 20% jump in national cremation rates over the past decade. This statistic from the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) indicates a growing trend in end of life plans and decisions. Affordable cremation urns seem like an environmentally friendly decision when compared to the 1 million tons of steel caskets Americans bury each year. These caskets, which do not degrade, also crowd the more than 22,500 cemeteries across the U.S. which also bury 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid every year. Green burials, which include affordable cremation urns and biodegradable cremation urns, can significantly reduce the number and amount of caskets and fluids in traditional burials.
Cremation plans, instead of the more expensive lead casket burials that can cost an average $10,000, can often be limited to a more friendly cost of $2,500. In addition to saving money, cremations allow for the opportunity to safe memories as well. Whether you select memorial necklaces for ashes, or another kind of ash cremation jewelry, the best sympathy gifts can help you and other relatives and friends remember your loved one.
Affordable cremation urns are an environmentally friendly and economically wise end of life choice. Have you had the conversations you need with your loved ones so that they can follow your wishes?
