As you develop your funeral pre-plan, you'll need to decide whether to have a full-body burial or to be cremated. It's estimated that more people will soon select cremation as their choice to manage their body after death. If you're still debating this decision, here are some reasons why other people have made cremation their choice.
1. Depending on other choices made, cremation can be less expensive.
If you're concerned about paying funeral expenses, cremation can reduce your costs. You won't need such items as:
- full-size casket
- standard sized cemetery plot
- concrete vault to contain the casket
- embalming and restoration services
A minimalist approach to funeral expenses might look like:
- cremation directly after death
- cremains returned to your family to scatter in a favorite location
- no funeral services
However, even if you choose cremation, you can have an expensive funeral. For example:
- You could still choose to have a viewing of the body, in which case, you will have embalming and restoration expenses and will need to rent a casket. You'll be cremated after the viewing.
- You could have a viewing at the funeral home, a funeral service and a graveside service.
- You can choose to have your cremains buried in a full-sized casket in a standard cemetery plot.
2. Scheduling becomes easier for your family.
If you choose to be cremated directly after your death, your family can hold onto your cremains until they have had the chance to organize your funeral wishes. It also gives people who must travel long distances to get to your funeral time to make their plans. Your funeral services could be weeks after your cremation.
3. Some people see cremation as an ecological friendly option.
If you choose to be cremated soon after your death and have the ashes scattered, your final footprint on the earth is minimal. For some people, a casket, the embalming chemicals, and a cemetery plot make too much of an impact on the planet when they die, so they choose cremation.
4. Transporting your remains after death is easier for your family.
If you should pass away while traveling, and especially when you're out of the country, getting your body back home can be difficult and expensive for your family. Make a note in your funeral pre-plan for your family to have you cremated wherever you're located and the cremains shipped back to them through a common delivery service. You'll save your family a number of headaches trying to get your body home and paying funeral expenses will be easier.
