As the economy has slowed, more families have been forced, for financial reasons, to choose cremation instead of body burial when someone they care about dies.  A typical traditional funeral followed by body burial in a cemetery costs between $7,000 and $10,000. A typical funeral service that results in the body being cremated runs approximately $3000. While the trend towards cremation will likely continue in the near future, there are things you can do to make body burial more affordable.

Choosing certain types of funeral or cremation arrangements can eliminate many unnecessary funeral costs.  Choosing wisely will prevent you from being charged for lots of “extras” no one told you about.

Since most families do not plan funerals very often, they usually don't realize what's included (or excluded) in the decisions they make.  All too often a family simply agrees to the funeral director's recommendations - only to end up surprised when their final bill is 30% higher than expected.

Even though many of the goods and services offered by a funeral home are priced on an individual basis, certain selections you make will automatically trigger additional costs.  Unfortunately, most families don't find out about these additional costs until after the service is over and they get the funeral director's bill.

This post provides price ranges for many of the items associated with a traditional funeral service.  Reviewing these considerations will help you identify the type of funeral service most appropriate for your budget.

A traditional funeral service can cost nearly $10,000

While the average funeral costs nearly $7,500, many traditional funerals cost in excess of $10,000.  Here are the main components typically associated with a traditional funeral:

• casket: $2,300

• funeral director’s basic services fee: $1,400

• embalming and body preparation: $600

• viewing / visitation ceremony: $400

• funeral ceremony: $450

• transportation (pick up body, limousine, and hearse): $625

• miscellaneous (certificates, permits, music, clergy, obituary, register book, service folders, obituary, flowers): $500

• grave site $1,000

• fee to dig grave site $500

• headstone $1,500

The above costs represent national averages for many of the costs associated with a traditional funeral service.  Your actual costs could be higher (or lower) based upon geographic location, the funeral home you select, and the actual items you purchase.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

Funeral expenses really consist of three separate pieces:

• the services and merchandise provided by the funeral home

• the costs and services to dispose of the body or cremains (i.e. ashes) at the cemetery or elsewhere

• the cost to purchase and install some type of memorial (i.e. headstone, marker, monument)

Even if you end up paying for all three pieces through the funeral home, it’s best to break the cost of a funeral down into the above-three categories.

When estimating your TOTAL funeral costs, you must add all three pieces together. I think this is by far the best way to plan a funeral because it allows you to isolate and prioritize the goods and services that are most important to you.

Many times you'll hear people say that the average funeral costs around $6,000.  However, that estimate is based on a price survey taken several years ago.  Funeral prices, like everything else, have increased with inflation.

Today, the average North American traditional funeral costs between $7,000 and $10,000.  This price range includes the services at the funeral home, burial in a cemetery, and the installation of a headstone.  While cremation is gaining in popularity, the traditional funeral is still the most popular manner for disposing of the deceased.

Before spending thousands of dollars at the funeral home and cemetery, check to see if the decedent qualified for free funeral items from the government.  Why pay for something the government is willing to provide for free?  After all, the decedent has already earned it!

Many military veterans are eligible for free grave spaces and headstones.

You can search online for information about military benefits or check out section five of the Funeral Saver’s Kit.  It'll show you which services and goods are provided at no cost by the U.S. government and how to claim your benefits.

Note: be aware of so-called “free grave” scams that are sometimes offered to veterans.  This is where the veteran is offered a free grave site, but upon death, the family has to pay an unusually high price to have the grave site dug.