Burial Cost

[Era Might]

Look, let it be known now to whoever handles these things that I'm not paying thousands of dollars to be put in the ground. They can put me in an unmarked grave, I don't care, but I'm not shelling out thousands of dollars to lie in a box underneath some dirt. I'd like a grave and a funeral and a grave marker for religious reasons, but sorry, I'm not shelling out obscene amounts of money to have it. Even if I had the money I don't think I would pay. It's the principle of the matter. It shouldn't cost thousands of dollars for a man to rest in peace.

Discuss.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Era Might

[ardillacid]

Concurrence

[Vincent Vega]

A pine box is fine for me.

[dominicansoul]

a few years ago, i bought two graves, cos the cemetary was having a "two-for-one special"

now i'm paying them a set amount every month, so that my family won't have to worry about my funeral expenses


I also want these monks to build my coffin, cos the money will go towards their monastery, and their way of life:


http://www.trappistcaskets.com/

[Era Might]

[quote name='dominicansoul' timestamp='1314329109' post='2295072']I also want these monks to build my coffin, cos the money will go towards their monastery, and their way of life:


[url="http://www.trappistcaskets.com/"]http://www.trappistcaskets.com/[/url]
[/quote]
Interesting. I'm waiting for CatherineM to post about how she widdled her own casket out of the trees in her backyard. Short of that, and short of an unmarked grave, a low-cost Trappist casket could be a good way to go out.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Era Might

[southern california guy]

[quote name='dominicansoul' timestamp='1314329109' post='2295072']
a few years ago, i bought two graves, cos the cemetary was having a "two-for-one special"

now i'm paying them a set amount every month, so that my family won't have to worry about my funeral expenses


I also want these monks to build my coffin, cos the money will go towards their monastery, and their way of life:


[url="http://www.trappistcaskets.com/"]http://www.trappistcaskets.com/[/url]
[/quote]

Two graves? I'm sure not making any plans like that. I don't even want to think about dying. I'm too busy spending my money on things necessary for living.
I have an uncle that died recently of cancer. He never married and apparently he left a bit of money. I don't know if I'll inherit anything or not, but you know what I think, I think he should have spent the money while he was still alive!

Edited August 26, 2011 by southern california guy

[vee]

When I saw DS' grave I started to dance on it... until I realized she was beside me and not actually dead! oops

[MissScripture]

My dad built me a hope chest, and the first thing I did was climb inside, so my mom took a picture of me curled up in it, and someone actually thought my dad built me a casket as a birthday/graduation gift.

[Brother Adam]

Funerals cost what they cost. I know someone who works at a funeral home. The absolute lowest you can get a funeral in our city is 8k, whether you like it or not. Those are the bare expenses. If you don't have it, the state helps.

[Maximilianus]

The monks at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in GA have a natural burial ground, less expensive than the norm.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Maximilianus

[CatherineM]

First off, I am not going to have a casket because I'm being cremated.

My dad was buried 25 years ago this month. He and my mom had already purchased their plots, and the concrete liners. His grave marker was paid for by the government because he was a veteran. Even with the big stuff already paid for, his funeral cost over $10,000. They charged $1500 extra for the embalming because he had been autopsied. Oh yeah, they wouldn't touch him until the money was paid up front. Pre-arrangement cuts the price in half, but it is still insanely expensive.

[MissScripture]

Another thing --shop around for headstones. For some reason this topic came up not that long ago with my parents and they were talking about how you can find such a difference in prices for headstones at different places. I'm not really sure why they were looking at headstone prices, though.

[Maximilianus]

The monks at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in GA also have spaces for cremated remains.

[Laudate_Dominum]

I want to do this thing where you're buried in a forest with nothing more than the nearest tree to mark your grave. Your body isn't embalmed beforehand and environmentally hazardous things such as dental amalgam are removed before burial. You're basically composted in the soil by the same kinds of microbes that do it up in the home compost pile. Kind of cool. I just can't roll with the conventional burial industry, it doesn't make sense to me.

Some natural burial or "green burial" places allow small and discreet stone markers. Personally, I like the thought of a tree. While it won't last as long as etched stone, I'm sure it will outlive my memory anyhow. I don't need a monument.

[Laudate_Dominum]

P.S. Also, no casket; I want a cheap burial shroud.

[img]http://naturallyearthfriendly.com/files/imagecache/Full_Width_550px/A-Greener-Way-To-Go-Standard-Burial-Versus-Natural-Green-Burial.png[/img]

[url="http://www.naturallyearthfriendly.com/lifestyle/embalming-started-during-the-civil-war-and-is-not-legally-required-in-the-united-states-so-why-is-it-still-the-most-po"]Picture from here.[/url]