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No one likes talking about funerals or thinking about the end of our lives (or the lives of our loved ones), but the hard fact is that we’re all going to have to face death, and that often involves a funeral.
So it’s best to be informed when it could mean thousands of dollars and your eternal resting place, right? Yes. And below are 5 things funeral directors would really rather remain a secret.
#5. Caskets don’t have to be super expensive.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv1s50gFkwa/
Funeral directors want to steer you toward mahogany and bronze, but the fact is, you can pick one up at Costco, Walmart, or Sam’s Club for a much more reasonable price (if you don’t mind sailing into the afterlife in a more modest boat).
#4. In fact, you can even rent them.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvUekd4lmf2/
It might sound squicky at first, but if you’re a practical person who realizes that your body is eventually going to turn back into dirt and dust, anyway, you can rent your casket. The body rests in a cardboard liner inside the casket and then is buried (or cremated) without it.
#3. Embalming is optional.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv166P3gy4A/
If you plan the viewing and burial (or cremation) quickly enough, embalming is an extra, not a requirement.
#2. So is having the deceased present at the funeral.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv2tYpDBG62/
They charge you extra to have your loved one’s body present at the funeral, but it’s not actually required. Consider this: a celebration of life might be more convincing if people weren’t staring at the dead person, rather than remembering them alive.
#1. Their “bells and whistles” options aren’t what they appear.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv1rVs4ACMY/
They might try selling you a “protective casket” that includes a rubber gasket to seal the casket so tight it will slow or stall decomposition. Not only is the opposite true – moisture and gases get trapped inside and some caskets have even exploded because of it – but, I mean. Why delay the inevitable?
The more you know – your grandkids could pay off some of their student loan debt with the extra cash!
