Cost of death: How families can avoid pricey funeral expenses

(WSPA) – The topic of death is never easy to discuss, but with the average funeral between $7,000-$12,000, doing your research today can save you from financial hardship when you lose a loved one.

In this Consumer Exclusive, we take an in-depth look at how families can save on death expenses while still honoring the wishes of the dead.

Have the talk

If there is anything that can bring peace in a time of grief, Debbie Workman said it’s the open discussions well before death, like the ones she had with her husband Ed.

“My husband and I talked about it and I just couldn’t see, neither of us could see putting that much money in the ground.  We wanted instead of the mortuary having it, we wanted one of us to have it,” the Inman widow said.

Never shy, even about tough talks, Workman said her husband chose cremation versus a burial and viewing, a cost savings Workman estimates at more than $8,000.

His urn was not purchased, but rather a precious family heirloom.

“I have just come in here and laid my head down on it like this, and tell him how much I miss him,” Workman said next to the urn.

Comparison shop (don’t be shy)

Whether cremation or burial is your preference, sites like Funeralocity can help you compare pricing at crematories and funeral homes within a radius of your home.

It shows in the Greenville area the most basic cremation ranges from $850 to more than $4,000.   A traditional full-service burial is as high as $12,000.

Tommy Harris, with Harris-Nadeau Mortuary in Chesnee, said another way families can save money is to set up what’s called a pre-need contract which locks in today’s prices. You must pay before death but can request a monthly payment plan.

Harris also warns when choosing a funeral home or a cemetery, make sure you research the owners, even if it appears to have a family name.

“If it does not on the staff page or about us page tell you and show you who the owner or owners are, that’s a red flag that that’s more than likely a corporate-owned firm,” Harris said. “You are going to pay more at a corporate-owned firm because corporate-owned firms they answer to stockholders.”

Families can take some comfort in knowing Federal law requires funeral homes to give you prices over the phone and hand you an itemized price list when you start talking about arrangements in person.  You can use those to compare shops.

Cheaper caskets/urns

Now, when it comes to caskets or urns, you should know, federal law prohibits funeral homes from turning down third-party merchandise and they can’t charge a fee for accepting it either.

Many families may want to use online resources like Casket Emporium , even Walmart and Costco.  But make sure to compare apples to apples, and don’t forget shipping costs.

Gift of Body program

Another option altogether is something that can help science: The Gift of Body program at the University of South Carolina.

You must register before death, and upon death, the bodies are preserved to help train medical students. At the end of the term, the family is invited to a celebration of life, a public ceremony that’s put together by the medical students in appreciation for the donation which is helping them learn to heal others.

Amanda Mulalley, the program manager, said for the medical students donors are their first patients, a gift they honor.

As for loved ones, almost all expenses including cremation at the end of the term are covered.

“Nowadays a lot of consumers no longer have life insurance or savings to accommodate funeral costs, memorial services, things like that,” said Mulalley. “So a lot of our donors tend to look at this as an economical plan as well just because our costs associated with the program are minimal compared to that of a funeral home or a cremation society.”

Workman takes comfort in knowing the research she and her husband did ahead of time led them down the right path.

“It ended up costing me like $2,100 something like that and I probably saved at least $10,000 even going a cheaper route with a funeral where most people during that time you know they go all out because they can be talked into anything at that time,” Workman said.

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