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Our thanks to ClarkHoward.com and consumer advocate Clark Howard:
How the recession is impacting funeral planning
The Los Angeles Times reports that bodies are going unclaimed in record numbers at morgues because families know they can’t afford a burial. In a case like that, many jurisdictions will do a cremation at taxpayer expense.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that home burial is becoming increasingly popular at family farms and other large tracts of private land. In most jurisdictions, home burial is permissible as long as you follow the regulations. The typical cost is a few hundred dollars.
Obviously, these are the two extremes of how the recession is shaping end-of-life choices. But there is a reasonable compromise: Join a non-profit funeral or memorial society if there’s one in your area. Funerals.org is a clearinghouse where you can search by state.
As Clark has said in the past, you get to use the group buying power of your fellow memorial society members to greatly reduce the costs of a funeral with cremation or burial.
The consumer champ has been a member since the ’70s. Through his membership, a simple burial with a casket is $1,950 vs. $7,500 for a comparable service. Cremation is in the $900 range.