×
Two Together: Save £100!
Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
Buy now, pay in January
Buy your funeral plan today and pay in January for peace of mind this Christmas. Click here for full T&Cs.
Two Together: Save £100!
Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
Buy now, pay in January
Buy your funeral plan today and pay in January for peace of mind this Christmas. Click here for full T&Cs.
14 minute read
When faced with the prospect of organising a funeral, one of the first things we find ourselves wondering is how to keep funeral costs down. Funerals, it goes without saying, can be expensive, and this can bring a lot of anxiety or worry into a moment that is already likely to be difficult for emotional reasons. We wanted to write this article which explains how to keep funeral costs down in different ways.
Before we start, we’d just like to say that, if you’ve found us here, we recognise that you could be going through a hard time. Whether you need our funeral services now, by way of a direct cremation, or in the future through one of our prepaid funeral plans, we are here to help you.
Funeral costs have been rising year on year in the UK for a long time now; according to SunLife there is set to be a 126% increase in funeral prices over a 20-year period. It’s not surprising that, in the midst of a cost of living crisis, funeral poverty is increasing, along with a rise in public-health funerals (colloquially known as a ‘pauper’s funeral’).
Rising funeral costs is also one of the reasons for the increasing popularity of direct cremation; a low-cost, modern alternative to the traditional funeral. It handles the practical aspects of a funeral in a streamlined, dignified way, without most of the costly extras, and allows families to organise a celebration of life for their loved ones at a later date, if they choose.
Finding ways to keep funeral costs down is important for being able to send off your loved ones with the dignity they deserve, without putting yourself into real financial difficulty. Fortunately, in direct cremation, there is a real, dependable alternative to costly traditional funerals.
Broadly speaking, there are a few different categories of funeral available to choose from, each with their own costs, advantages and priorities. From traditional, to direct, and alternative funerals, you’ll have to balance your budget against your wishes in order to make the right decision.
The most expensive type of funeral is generally considered to be the traditional kind. They tend to have a series of extra costs associated with them which cause the final price to be significantly higher than other funerals. For example, traditional funerals are always attended by guests, which means there is normally a service; the service needs to be officiated by a religious minister or secular celebrant, for which there is a fee. There might also be a funeral procession, potentially with a horse and carriage or limousine, which needs to be hired by the family. There are almost always floral tributes to the person who has died, whether simple arrangements, or messages written with flowers, which can add significant cost. And there tends to be some sort of after-gathering, or wake, following the funeral itself, whether at a venue like a nearby pub or hotel, or the house of a bereaved family member; the catering bill for such events also adds up.
Traditional funerals tend to be comprehensive, comprising a fully attended, designed ceremony, and a catered event afterwards. There are many different beliefs on death and funerals in religion, so there isn’t necessarily one type of ‘traditional’ funeral, but it is true to say that traditional funerals are associated mostly with religion. With the decline of religion in the UK, the number of religious funerals has also been declining, but many people still feel pressured to go all out and organise one.
Direct funerals, such as direct cremation or direct burial, are more streamlined, no fuss funerals which strip out a lot of the costly extras associated with traditional funerals. In general, there are no attendees (although Aura offers you the option to have an attended direct cremation), which means there is no service to be paid for. The person who has died will be buried or cremated in a simple coffin. The family can then decide, if they want to, to organise an end-of-life celebration at a later date, and they have full control over how expensive that can be.
With the hastening onset of the climate crisis, many people are looking for ways to minimise the environmental impact of their deaths. There are different ways of going about this, to avoiding embalming (it’s a popular funeral myth that embalming is legally required), to opting for a light-weight, biodegradable coffin (or even a simple burial shroud). Some opt for a woodland burial, or water cremation as more eco-friendly funeral options, and many of them have the added advantage of being more affordable too.
When arranging a low-cost cremation or funeral, or choose more affordable funeral options, there are a couple of big decisions that you will need to make. For instance, you’ll have to decide on cremation or burial, and whether or not you’d like the ceremony to be unattended or attended.
One of the first things you can do to bring down costs is to weigh up cremation vs burial as an option. In general, burial is a much more expensive option than cremation, but direct cremation and direct burial are more cost-effective choices because they don’t normally have an attended element. A direct cremation will focus most of all on the cremation process, leaving the ceremonial extras to the side.
Burial is generally more expensive than cremation because it concerns certain high-ticket expenses, like a headstone and rental of a burial plot. It’s important to be aware that these particular expenses are often not included in the final price given by the provider, so will need to be carefully budgeted. They will also need to be considered for direct burial, although they may be cheaper in this context.
Arranging a low-cost funeral is often a case of asking the funeral director to provide their simplest option. You can see what’s included with Aura’s simple cremations, below.
Natural or green burials are also a good way to minimise costs. They focus on minimising the environmental impact of the burial as far as possible, meaning that they tend to be streamlined and very simplistic.
A highly effective way of keeping funeral costs down is to plan ahead, if at all possible. There are a couple of ways that this can be done, from buying a prepaid funeral plan, to discussing your preferences with your family, to getting a headstart on budgeting.
Prepaid funeral plans are effective at fighting rising funeral costs, as they allow you to lock in today’s prices. When you buy one of Aura’s funeral plans, as an FCA-regulated company, we place your money into our secure, independently managed trust, where it is kept until it is needed. There it is protected from the impact of potential inflation and from rising funeral costs.
With Aura’s funeral plans, you can pay all in one go (from £1,595), or over 12-to-24 months (from £66.46) at no extra cost, giving you full flexibility to decide how to pay, and to spread the cost over time without paying any extra. Most other providers do not allow for this. Give yourself the best chance to make the right decision by comparing Aura’s funeral plans with other leading providers. Once you’ve got a general sense of how much funeral plans cost, you will be able to make a more informed choice, and you can see the range of Aura’s plans below.
If you are likely to need the financial support of your family in order to hold a funeral, it might be a good idea to get talking about death and dying ahead of time. This not only has the advantage of giving you all the chance to ask relevant questions, it also lets people get comfortable with the idea that a funeral itself will someday be necessary. Talking to your family about direct cremation, or any other kind of funeral, can be a meaningful experience that helps you all to bond, as well as to help everyone to financially prepare in advance.
For the same reasons, budgeting early for funerals can be a good idea. You may wish to start a funeral checklist to help you keep track of the different costs that you may need to pay, as well as to keep your consumer research organised, such as from impartial websites like Money Saving Expert.
Some like to opt for an over-50s life insurance policy as another way of setting aside a small amount each month. Others like to simply save money aside in their own savings account. Please bear in mind that this, unlike with a funeral plan, won’t protect your money from potential rising funeral costs and inflation. When someone dies, various documents may be needed, such as a Death Certificate before a bank will grant loved ones access to your account where the money is stored, or an insurer a payout on your life insurance policy; make sure to bear that in mind too.
| Perfectly simple | Wonderfully Imagined (Intimate) | Wonderfully Imagined (Fully Attended) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating from independent experts at Fairer Finance | |||
| Cremation fees included | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Collection fees included. 24/7 within mainland Britain | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Oversized/bariatric coffin | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Return of ashes or scattered in the garden of remembrance | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Removal of standard medical items (e.g. pacemaker) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Choice of crematorium | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Attended Service | ✘ | ✔ 15-minute attended service for 15 people | ✔ 45-minute service for unlimited people (up to the maximum capacity of the crematorium). |
There are a number of ways to reduce funeral service costs, from limiting the personalisation involved, to opting for local or domestic venues for any end-of-life celebration ideas, to simplifying the catering and receptions.
There are cost-effective and subtle ways to personalise a funeral without having to spend a large amount of money. With Aura, families can select the music at no extra cost to accompany their loved one into the crematorium chapel, as they are placed on the catafalque. It’s also possible to enclose certain sentimental items within the coffin with your loved one. These little touches can provide just as much meaning and specialness as more bespoke musical arrangements, or fully-developed visual themes, but at no extra cost.
In conjunction with opting for local venues for funeral-related gatherings, such as community centres or family homes, as opposed to expensive private venues, the same approach can be taken when remembering a loved one with any celebration of life after the funeral. If organising a wake, you can ask that each attendee bring an item of food or drink with them, contributing to the common lot, and thereby spreading the cost of the event. This will allow you to save on professional catering fees, which can be very expensive.
Make sure you are getting the best deal by managing burial and cremation costs; shop around for burial plots or cremation services, and reconsider spending money on expensive add-ons.
According to Legal & General, there’s quite a wide disparity in cost between different regions of the UK. For instance, paying for a burial in central London could cost almost £9,000, whereas a burial in the East Midlands could be several thousand pounds less, at roughly £5,000. There isn’t as much capacity for variance in cremation prices per region, as the variable of plot-rental is removed, which is what can add so much to the price of a burial. If you are really looking to save, an unattended direct cremation in a rural area could be the most affordable option. You may also want to compare direct cremation providers and costs, if you are planning a funeral in the here and now, to get a better idea of the range of prices out there.
There are a number of expensive add-ons that you could think twice about, in order to bring down the cost. Decide whether you want to spend the required money for a custom headstone, or for mausoleum or niche space at a columbarium. When it comes to cremation ashes ideas, there are a wide range of options that are meaningful and special, which don’t have to cost a large amount of money, such as making jewellery, art or even cremation ashes tattoos. In any case, these are things which can be returned to at a later date, once the practical matters of the funeral have been seen to.
When asking how to keep funeral costs down, many people decide to apply alternative financial solutions, like crowdfunding or government and charity assistance.
Online crowdfunding tools are proving more and more popular with people looking to spread the cost of a funeral among family and friends. Websites like JustGiving and GoFundMe let you create a funding campaign with a shareable link that you can send across your social media networks, perhaps whilst announcing a death to friends and family online.
The government is often able to help with funeral costs through different schemes. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has two programs helping eligible people: the Bereavement Support Payment and the Funeral Expenses Payment.
The support payments come with an eligibility criteria; you will likely need to be the next-of-kin of the person who has died, or the next-of-kin’s partner, and you will already have to be receiving some kind of benefits from the state. If you live in Scotland, you can apply for the funeral support payment on the Scottish government website.
Furthermore, British military veterans could be eligible for burial benefits and other forms of funeral support; you can learn more about what to do when a veteran dies on the UK government website.
There are charities and not-for-profit organisations out there that can point you towards useful resources, and possibly pay some or all of the cost of a funeral. The Quaker Social Action charity, for example, can identify funding opportunities for you, whether through the government or industry-specific charities.
There are also charities that can help with the grieving aspect of things. For instance, Sue Ryder has recommendations on things like joining local death cafes, which is a great way to learn how to talk about death and dying with others who are grieving near you.
When facing the long anticipated or completely unexpected death of a loved one, wondering how to keep funeral costs down is often one of the first things we find ourselves doing. We hope that by reading this article, you now have a better sense of how to do this. But, if you have any questions whatsoever about funeral arranging, or its associated costs, you need only let us know; we are ready to help.
Our Aura Angels are here to support you with anything you may need when the time comes to begin planning a funeral, or to put a prepaid funeral plan into action. From helping you to coordinate paperwork, to making arrangements, and lending a compassionate ear, we’ll be here to help you in your time of need. Get in touch with our team and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.
