Funeral Planning 101: Tips For Making Wise Decisions For End-Life Services

Funeral planning can be challenging, but if you keep a few tips in mind, things can be much more simplified. Here are a few good tips to keep in mind. 

1. Don't overshoot your budget and be logical about financial objectives. 

A funeral service is definitely an important event, and it should be representational of who you were in life. However, it is so easy to get caught up in wanting all the finer things that you overstep your budget. It is a good idea to look at what you feel would be logical to spend on a funeral and tack down a specific budget before you get started making plans. The director at the funeral home can offer a lot of sound advice with this and will be happy to provide a price list to reference as you make your plans. 

2. Involve at least one other person in the funeral planning process. 

Planning a funeral can be a little intimidating. After all, you will be making choices about a service that will be held when you are gone, and that in itself can be an emotional feat. When you sit down to start making plans, especially if you will be meeting a planner at the funeral home, it is a good idea to bring someone close along for moral support. Most people will involve their spouse or a couple will make the process a twofold thing with both parties creating plans together. However, you can just as easily bring along a close friend or someone who can help you make decisions and be there for support.  

3. Carefully examine package deals before accepting one. 

A lot of funeral homes offer package funeral deals for pre-planners and these packages can take a lot of guesswork out of pulling everything together. However, it is best to really go through all the details of these packages to make sure everything included is just what you want. You may find that you want to make a lot of changes, which can mean it is more logical to create your own plan. 

4. Try not to be too specific about things that may be hard to achieve. 

It is always good to allow a bit of flexibility in your plans. A funeral can be many years down the road, which means certain things can change over the years and even the availability of certain items can differ. For example, instead of making a note that you must have a rose-gold casket with silk lining, indicate that you prefer rose gold but will be suited with a dusty pink as well.