With death being inevitable, why is the cost of a funeral so expensive? What is it that makes the cost of dying financial burdensome to many people?
We all know that the time will eventually come (hopefully after a long and healthy life) that death is something that we cannot avoid.
Why, then, does the cost of dying and why is the cost of a funeral so expensive? With everyone needing a funeral in their life, it might be considered if the cost of a funeral can be reduced in any way at all.
Whilst the average cost of dying has come down since 2020, with the cost of a basic funeral also dropping, paying for funerals are on people’s minds with them wondering ‘Why is the cost of a funeral so expensive?’ and how they might pay for them.
The first consideration of why is the cost of a funeral so expensive is where a person might live.
The geographical location of a person who dies will affect the cost of his or her funeral. The cost of a funeral is dependent of UK location with the most expensive place to die is London whilst Northern Island being the most affordable. Funeral costs rose more steeply and are above the national average in London, the south-east and the East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber and East and West Midlands.
Why is the cost of a funeral so expensive in London and other locations that demand higher costs might be attributed to the lack of space, the higher wages, more inflated prices and so on.
The additional costs that people may choose when a loved one dies may answer why is the cost of a funeral so expensive. Flowers, limousines, an elaborate coffin, embalming of the body and a wake are only a handful of services or additional options that can increase the cost of a funeral significantly.
Whilst these are optional for people to decide if they do or do not want to have at a loved one’s funeral (or their own if they have planned and paid for their funeral in advance), there are some factors that might answer why is the cost of a funeral so expensive.
The cost of the funeral director is likely to be the most expensive thing when someone plans a funeral. Having said that, a good funeral director is invaluable at the time of a death because they can provide a professional service that is invaluable during what is usually an emotional time for people.
If a funeral has not been planned in advance, it is often the case that a family or next of kin of the deceased person will choose a funeral director that is most convenient for them at that time. This might be based on their geographical location, personal recommendation or a previous experience.
It may be that they don’t consider at first why is the cost of a funeral so expensive because they have not shopped around for the best price of a funeral director and take the time to listen to what each of them has to offer.
It is often the type of funeral that can reviewed to understand why is the cost of a funeral so expensive.
The coffin or casket is an expensive item when planning a funeral and this might be an item that money can be saved by choosing one of many varieties of coffin that are available now when considering why is the cost of a funeral so expensive.
There are many people that might get caught in a trap of equating their recently deceased loved one’s value or worth with how much is spent on their funeral. They might feel, at an emotionally charged time of their lives, that if they ‘scrimp’ on the funeral of their deceased loved one, they should be made to feel disrespectful, unloving or ‘tight with their money’.
If, in the Christian faith, the choice is taken that a traditional church funeral ceremony, with a hearse, limousines, flowers, an elaborate coffin, and other additional services such as a choir, a large wake and other elements that might or might not make up a funeral, can answer why is the cost of a funeral so expensive, it is these extra charges as well as burial plot costs and estate administration.
There is a large number of factors that help answer the question of why is the cost of a funeral so expensive?
For those considering a funeral or wanting to keep costs down as much as possible, it may be that they can have exactly what they want (whether it is an elaborate and traditional burial funeral or a simplistic, no frills direct cremation with no one in attendance) it is worth them reviewing the options of paying for their funeral in advance through a prepaid funeral plan.
In order for people to eliminate the question of why is the cost of a funeral so expensive they might be able to budget accordingly and pay for whatever funeral they choose for themselves through monthly instalments in advance over a number of years.
A prepaid funeral plan option fixes the price of a funeral at today’s cost and allows the person to decide exactly what should be included, with or without the additional costs that inevitably inflate the cost of a funeral to explain why is the cost of a funeral so expensive.
The next article will be published next week, and the title will be What is the best funeral insurance in the UK?
