The passing of a life is never an easy thing to go through, but there are some steps that can be made to ease the process financially. More and more people are choosing cremation over traditional burials. Unlike traditional burials, cremation offers a lot of flexibility for you and your family.
The steps needed for planning your cremation are relatively easy and straightforward. Cremation offers something for almost any budget. On the simple end of things, you could have your remains placed in a simple basic urn for memory or transportation for scattering your ashes. Maybe you’d prefer something with a little more flair with your cremation. That’s what planning ahead is all about.
How you wish your remains to be handled after death and making sure that those actions are doable by your family after you’re gone is all in your hands. Taking care of what you can now and planning ahead will give you ease of mind that your remains will be put to rest in the manner that you wish. Your family will spend less time worrying about how to properly honor you because they will have clear cut instructions directly from you. Cremation planning will allow your family more time to remember your life and the unique spark you brought to the world
Preparing For The Future
Preparing for the future begins with figuring out what you want and establishing a plan of action. Not many people sit around thinking about when they’ll pass away and what will happen after. It’s not the happiest thing to think about, but it’s important to prepare for when that happens. Take time to think about what you’d like your family to do with your remains. There’s a lot of flexibility with being cremated. Many places will allow for the scattering of remains with little to no difficulty. Some places may require your family to have a permit or pay a small fee.
It’s good to know about and prepare for these things beforehand. If you’re not a fan of the traditional urn and scattering the ashes that people tend to pair with cremation, that’s okay too. There are numerous other ways to have your remains honored. If you like the idea of your family being able to visit your remains, a columbarium niche might interest you. It’s a special built wall, often housed in a mausoleum, made for storing urns. If you want something a little more upbeat, you might consider looking into having your remains memorialized in glass art for your family to treasure for years to come. The possibilities are nearly endless when it comes to preparing for your future.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Save Money
Passing away can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to drain you or your loved ones’ savings account. Traditional burials can cost over seven thousand dollars. That doesn’t account for an obituary or any flowers that your family buys for your memorial and burial. Choosing cremation over a traditional burial will save you and your loved ones thousands of dollars. The average cremation costs around two thousand dollars. That comes to around 70% less than what you or your loved ones would pay for a traditional burial. If you want to save money for you and your family, cremation beats a traditional burial.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Stress Free For Your Family
Losing a loved one is difficult, but you can make it stress free for your family as possible by planning ahead. Having your cremation scheduled and how you want your remains handled already planned out will take the weight of your family’s shoulders. There won’t be any second guessing about what your desires were because the whole thing will already be planned out for them. All they have to do is follow your instructions. Your family will feel secure in knowing that they are following and remaining true to your wishes. It will make the process of grieving and remembering your life much easier for them.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Can Pre-Pay Yourself
You can pre-pay yourself towards a cremation with as little as 25 dollars a month. Many pre-pay plans even lock in your cremation price to today’s prices, so you and your loved ones won’t have to worry about inflation making your cremation more expensive. There’s several different types of plans. If you’re an earlier planner, some of the longer plans even stretch out the costs over a ten year period. You don’t have to stretch it out that long. If you’d prefer a shorter payment plan, you can find some that takes as little as one year to pay off.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Organize The Spreading of Ashes
This is the part of the cremation process that your loved ones will remember for the rest of their lives. Instead of your remains spending the rest of their time underground, they have the opportunity to be spread them in a place that defines your personality or reminds your loved ones of a special time in your life. Maybe there’s a place that you loved during your life and want your remains to be spread there. Few places outright ban the spreading of ashes, but you should look into any permits or fees that your loved ones will need when you organize spreading of ashes.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Work With a Funeral Director
When you’re ready to take steps towards securing your cremation, it’s important to work with a funeral director. Funeral directors are here to help you and your loved ones make sure your remains are handled in the best possible manner and to your wishes. They can answer any questions you might have about the cremation process or any paperwork that you need to handle for your passing. They’ll be able to tell you what plans they have available for cremation. Different funeral homes will have different plans, so if the first funeral director you speak to doesn’t offer what you’re looking for, you can call around to other funeral homes.
[/nextpage] [nextpage title=”Next” ]Arranging Plans for Your Spouse
Cremation doesn’t have to be just for you. Arranging plans for your spouse ahead of time comes with the same benefits for you and your family as preparing for your own. Talk to your spouse about how they want their remains handled and if cremation is right for them. Knowing what your spouse wants ahead of time can make a world of difference when it comes time to lay them to rest. Remains don’t have to be spread immediately. If you and your spouse would like to be spread at the same time and place, the urn containing your or their remains can be kept until the other passes.
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