Top 5 Tips for Funeral Preplanning
While there are undoubtedly other things you’d rather spend time doing than arranging a funeral, it makes sense to preplan your own funeral service.
Otherwise, your family will have to do it for you after you die. Which, the process will be hard for them to plan while mourning. So it’s better for you and yours if you contact a funeral home, sit down with a funeral director, and preplan.
You’ll find that it won’t take nearly as long as you might think. And the benefits are such that it’s definitely worth earmarking some time out of your schedule.
But how, exactly, should you go about with funeral preplanning? So that you can get this important task completed with minimum fuss, here’s a look at 5 tips for preplanning your own body disposition.
1. Determine Budget When Funeral Preplanning
Your first order of business is to determine how much you wish to spend. Whether you want a burial or a cremation; you can preplan something affordable, and going the affordable route won’t have to jeopardize quality.
If you want to plan a funeral ceremony in a church or chapel, you’ll want to budget for funeral flowers, a casket, a cemetery plot, and more. If you want to arrange a cremation, you’ll want to budget for things like a cremation urn.
Funeral homes are obligated by law to offer you their general price lists if you ask for them. These lists document everything the funeral homes offer and what the products and services cost. This will help you to budget properly.
When you look through the general price lists and see the prices for everything from funeral services packages to funeral flower arrangements, you’ll be able to come up with a realistic budget. This will make the preplanning a bit easier.
2. Choose Final Service Method
Do you want a funeral service followed by a casket burial? Would you prefer a cremation service with or without a funeral service beforehand? You’ll want to figure out which final service type you want before preplanning.
It is true that cremations are less expensive than funerals. But the funeral director at a reputable funeral home will be able to help you preplan something that is both affordable and meaningful for your family and friends.
What should you do if you’re simply not 100% sure about the body disposition type you want? If you’re not certain, preplan anyway. You can always update your arrangements later if you, say, want to go from a cremation to a burial.
3. Select the Right Funeral Home
It’s an error to assume that one funeral home is as good as another. Just like there are good and bad mechanics and doctors, there are also good and bad death care service providers. So you will want to choose with caution.
Ask people you know for any recommendations they may have. Chances are that someone in your sphere of influence has planned or preplanned before. Such a person can help you find a stellar funeral home right off the bat.
You won’t want to simply select the first funeral home you find in an online directory. That can be a recipe for disaster.
What follows is a look at some things you’ll want to look for in a funeral home:
- Good reputation
- Wide range of funeral services and cremation services
- Suitable facilities
- Solid reviews
- Transparent pricing
Once you believe you’ve found the right funeral home, pick up the phone and talk to some of the staff there. It’s also a good idea to tour the facility. You’ll be able to ask questions and get a feel for what the funeral home is about.
4. Gather Important Documents
The preplanning process will also go better for you if you’re properly prepared. This means gathering important documents and information ahead of going to the funeral home to meet with the funeral director.
You can speak with the funeral director to get a list of what information and documentation the funeral home needs for the preplanning process.
5. Make Prepayment Arrangements
After you’ve preplanned, you can also prepay. It’s a good idea to do so. Preplanning means your loved ones won’t have to plan on your behalf after your passing. And prepaying will spare them the financial burden.
Another prepayment benefit is that you’ll actually save money. The reason is that the price you prepay will be locked in. Your family won’t have to come up with any more funds to cover any price increases in the future.
Also consider that some grieving families tend to overspend due to their emotional state of mind after losing a loved one. So preplanning and prepaying will spare your loved ones this issue. They won’t have to plan or pay.
You can speak with the funeral director at the funeral home you choose about your prepayment options.
Do You Need Help with Preplanning?
Preplanning is an important undertaking. While not everyone does preplan their own funeral service, that doesn’t make preplanning any less critical.
Funeral preplanning will give you peace of mind since you’ll get the final send-off you want and will spare your family from having to plan it. And when you find the right funeral home, preplanning will be easier than you think.
At La Vista Memorial Park & Mortuary, we believe in helping people to preplan and in assisting families who need to plan for their deceased loved ones.
Get in touch to learn more about our funeral services and cremation services. Whether you need to arrange a final service or simply to ask some questions, we’re here for you. So get in touch.
