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.

Sometimes it makes more sense to buy certain funeral items from someone other than the funeral home handling your service.  These other suppliers usually offer more reasonable prices than the typical funeral home.

Make an effort to locate other sources that sell funeral merchandise

See what they charge for the items you're thinking about buying.  Even if you don’t buy from someone else, just knowing that less-expensive options exist can often get your funeral home to give you a big discount to remain competitive.

This article teaches you how to plan an affordable funeral.  With the typical funeral now costing more than the price of a good used car, many families need help making more affordable funeral (and cremation) arrangements.

Affordable Funeral Costs vs. Typical Funeral Costs

Most American funerals now cost between $8,000 and $10,000.  Unfortunately, as baby boomers age, demand for funeral services will grow and drive funeral prices up even further.  Some experts predict that within three years the average traditional funeral will cost nearly $12,000.

Fortunately, with a little planning you can realistically cut out-of-pocket funeral expenses in half.  This means you can save between $4,000 and $5,000 when planning a traditional funeral service or between $1,500 and $3,000 when planning a standard cremation service.

I'll admit that gathering information about funeral prices is harder than it should be.  In addition, funeral homes and cemeteries are subject to different requirements when it comes to providing you with information about their prices and options.

Funeral prices are not set in stone

If you only take away one thing from this article it should be this: funeral prices can vary greatly from one funeral home to the next.  This means a funeral service at one funeral home can cost thousands of dollars more than a similar service held at another funeral home right down the street….so it pays to shop around!

Why most people don't compare funeral prices

Unfortunately, most people do not compare prices between funeral homes.  This is understandable for a couple of reasons:

• We don’t like to talk about or plan for death

• Funeral plans often need to be made quickly - this can be especially burdensome when the death was unexpected

• Most people simply do not know enough about funeral planning to even know what questions to ask or what items to compare

• No one wants to be perceived as being cheap when it comes to making funeral arrangements for a loved one

However, you should approach the process of buying funeral goods and services just like you would any other major purchase - take the time to educate yourself as to the options and prices available in the marketplace.

Many people don’t realize that prices can vary greatly between funeral homes.   Over just the last three years many family-run funeral homes (and local cemeteries) have been taken-over by big global corporations.  These big corporate funeral homes often keep the original owner’s family name on the door so they don't scare away their old customers.  Unfortunately, these corporations often raise prices by 30% to 50%.

Don't just the pick the same old funeral home

This is why you should NOT automatically use the same funeral home you have used in the past UNTIL you check to see if they have SINCE become part of one of the big funeral corporations – as so many have!

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.

Today, with the average funeral cost nearing $8,300 for a traditional burial, the death of a loved one is a huge financial burden. This means finding and choosing the correct funeral home is very important.  Since many people are often distraught and emotionally drained when a loved on passes, consumers don't have the time or energy  to spend copious hours comparing funeral homes and services.  Luckily, there is a site that can aid you in finding the right funeral home quickly and easily online.

Parting.com helps you easily compare funeral homes online for free.  This is the most comprehensive resource available for comparing prices, viewing photographs, and reading reviews of all the funeral homes in the United States.