When I am overwhelmed and need to analyze a situation with many moving parts, I tend to make lists. If you are considering preneed insurance or pre-planning your funeral, I hope this list can help you consider the pros and cons of choosing cremation over burial.
The Pros of Cremation
- Many people choose cremation because it is more cost-efficient. An average burial costs $2000-$3000, but cremation is often a third of that cost.
- Cremation is environmentally friendly and socially responsible, as it has less impact on the planet and the wallet.
- Cremation can be a simpler, quicker process. There is less of a headache when planning a cremation and the details are fewer and less complicated.
- Cremation ashes offer a unique opportunity for families and loved ones. The spreading of ashes can be a wonderful bonding experience, or some people choose to cherish the ashes by keeping them in urns or other containers.
- An open-casket funeral can still be had if cremation is chosen instead of interment.
- If family members are far away when death occurs, cremation makes the disposal of the body quick so the memorial services can be postponed until those who are traveling can reasonably attend. Not paying for prolonged preservation will save you quite a bit.
- Sometimes the state will pay for cremation if no one claims the remains of the deceased.
The Cons of Cremation
- Burial is more traditional and will be expected by most people. Choosing cremation may be accompanied by explaining or justifying your choice.
- It can be difficult to choose what to do with the cremation ashes. If you’re pre-planning your own funeral, you may not be able to specifically choose what happens to your ashes. If you found a company that turns ashes into fireworks, it may not exist when your time actually comes.
- There may be family tension about how the cremation ashes are to be memorialized or scattered.
- Some religions frown on cremation, and at the very least, some loved ones may feel uncomfortable with the decision.
- Though an open-casket funeral is very possible before cremation takes place, the timing can be tricky to get down if you are trying to avoid preservation and embalming.
- If you choose to scatter ashes, there will be no headstone to memorialize you. Of course, you can choose to have your ashes buried and marked, or an empty marker can be placed for your family to visit.
- Cremation can be hard to explain to children, who often need to understand death by tangibly experiencing a burial.
This list is not comprehensive, and cannot possibly cover all the minutiae that affects your decision, but hopefully it has put a few things into perspective. As your considering your preneed funeral plans, my recommendation is to always follow what feels right—the rest will fall into place.
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It’s interesting to read about some of the pros and cons of cremation, particularly on how it affects the family. It makes sense that cremation is often a cheaper option than a traditional burial but might not offer the same effect. For my family, however, I think having the ashes buried with a headstone could be a great compromise between cost and service.
Thanks for this info. My friend’s dad died. I am helping her with the funeral. We are now looking up some cremation services.
I can see why someone would choose to be cremated because of the cost savings. I had no idea that funerals sometimes could cost $2000-$3000 dollars just for the burial! I might need to ask to be cremated in my will one day.
Thank you for listing out the pros and cons to cremation. My dad has been wondering about getting cremated when he dies, but didn’t know much about it. That is really nice that an open-casket funeral can still be held if cremation is chosen. I think that would help my dad with his decision.
Thanks for helping me learn more about cremation. I actually hadn’t considered that it’s a fairly quick process. I’m kind of interested to learn just how long it can take, especially if you need a quick ceremony.
I didn’t know that many people choose cremation because it is more cost-efficient. Our uncle passed away last week and he made a letter that he doesn’t want to be buried. My aunt suggested cremation services and shared this article with us.
I had no idea that funeral costs could run you around 3,000 dollars. This is simply something I don’t want to leave on my family when I am gone. I know you can still have a great service while being cremated.
Thanks for explaining how cremation is environmentally friendly. It would be good to consider the planet when you are considering your final resting state. I’m trying to plan my funeral in advance, so maybe cremation would be a good way to ensure that those who are left when I am gone will be well off.
My wife and I have been talking about cremation. I’m glad you talked about how quick of a process cremation really is. I’m going to have to share this article with her and see what she thinks! Thanks!
I like that you mentioned how cost effective cremation is. You can save so much on caskets and burial plots. It may be what I would want as to not leave my family in a financial burden.
My sister was diagnosed with a terminal disease and have only a few months to live. You mentioned here that cremation is cost-efficient. Moreover, cremation is also an environment-friendly and socially responsible act.
You make a great point that cremation is often a third of the cost of a typical burial. My grandma has been really sick for a few months, and she has been planning her funeral for a while now. I think she would really appreciate knowing the price difference between cremation and burial. Thanks for sharing!
It’s really great to hear that a cremation is often a third of the cost of a regular burial. I feel like that is a good reason alone to go with a cremation for my grandfather. He always told us that he would like to be carried away with the wind. So I think that’s what we’ll do, once we get him cremated and everything.
My uncle is pro-environment friendly alternatives that he even stated to be cremated when he dies. It was explained here that cremation is environment-friendly and socially responsible. Moreover, it’s recommended to advise funeral home for cremation.
Sadly, my grandmother passed away last night and we are needing to plan the funeral. Thank you for pointing out that cremation is very cost efficient. Luckily, she wanted to be cremated so we are going to need to find the best funeral home to help us with this.
Keep in mind that although cremation might cost around 300$, the extra fees of grave opening,if ashes buried, run around 700$, transporting the body to the funeral home from the place of death, an extra 200$ Etc. still beats the price of a full funeral but there are a lot of little extra fees like the price of the urn, and if the body has to be help 24 to 72 hours, state law, before cremation and about 100$ a day. (Expensive hotel).
Thanks for the article
My grandma knows that her time is almost up here and she’s been talking to us about wanting to do a cremation instead of a normal burial. One of the main reasons why she wants this, as you did mention, is that it’s much cheaper than a normal burial. We don’t have a whole lot of money but seeing that it’s less expensive, it would greatly help us out when the time comes.
It is pretty cool that there are so many companies that turn ashes into so many different things, I have heard that companies will turn ashes into diamonds. I think it would be cool to do fireworks also. For me, the cost savings of cremation make it beneficial for me.
Great and informational post! Actually, Cremation saves your time and gives you flexibility, but also saves a significant amount of money, which you use it later for the celebration of life or memorial service.
It’s really cool that an open casket funeral can still be held if one is going to get cremated. One of my old friends is obsessed with fire, so I think he’d love to get cremated. Where can he learn even more about cremation?
Thanks for explaining the benefits of cremation services, such as how it is cost-efficient and environmentally friendly. I also like that you recommend choosing the type of funeral plan that feels right to you. When choosing, it might help to compare the various benefits between cremation and burial before contacting a funeral home that offers the services you want so you can get help coming up with your plan to make sure you can have everything properly prepared.
I like that you say cremation allows you to have a bonding experience with your loved ones because you can spread their ashes together in places that were meaningful to them. Also, it is a nice option that you can keep the ashes in an urn as well to keep them with you. I never considered cremation as an option before, but I think it could be a great alternative to a burial not only because spreading or keeping the ashes is a memorable experience, but also because it would save money.
It’s great that cremation services are more cost-efficient as you mentioned so I may get this for my father when he passes if he’ll approve of being cremated. Since you mentioned that it is more environmentally friendly and socially responsible, he might like it because he likes to go green. I like the idea that an open-casket funeral can still be had with cremations so I might ask him about plans available in different funeral homes that he may like.
It’s good to know more about cremation. I love the pro that it’s a lot more cost efficient because it’s a third of the cost of a burial. We’re hoping to plan our funerals ahead of time, and this is a good consideration for us.
That is nice that cremation is environmentally friendly. That is something that I would want to do to help the environment. This way, I could save the environment a little by saving space for other people in cemeteries.
I can relate with you when you said that you tend to over analyze situations when you are overwhelmed. I do that too when I’m bored or overly stressed at work. I agree that pre-planning funeral is scary but an inevitable thing to consider. It’s a good thing that you discussed the pros and cons of cremation. Since you mentioned the benefits of cremation like being cost-effective, cost friendly, etc; I think I will consider this type of funeral.
I thought it was interesting when you said that spreading ashes can be a bonding experienced for those who are grieving. Last week, my father passed away, so my siblings are figuring out the logistics for his funeral. We will be sure to try and find a funeral home that provides cremation services.
I found it helpful that you mentioned that average burial services cost $2000-$3000 and cremations cost a 3rd of that. I’ve been planning on using cremation services when my time comes. I also like that you mentioned that the spreading of ashes can be a wonderful bonding experience between family members.
A good friend of mine is thinking about getting cremation services for a loved one. She is trying to help make the process easier for her loved one. I like that you can get a simpler way to bring the family together if they are farther away from each other for a postponed memorial service to make sure everyone can attend.
I had no idea that cremation was more cost efficient, costing only a third of what a normal burial costs. Because of this, I think it would be a good option if you didn’t have time to prepare much for the funeral. I’ll have to look more into cremation.
I appreciate you helping me learn more about cremation. I never knew there was so much to consider. I like though that the process seems to be simpler than a traditional burial.
I really appreciated how you mentioned that cremation is environmentally friendly and socially responsible. My grandma recently passed on and we are trying to figure out what the best option for her situation would be since she loved nature. Thank you for this very informative article about cremation, I will make sure to contact a professional in my area.
I like how you mentioned that cremation is environmentally friendly and socially responsible, as it has less impact on the planet and wallet. My aunt is planning on looking for cremation services, she wants to gather more information for her burial. Thank you for mentioning that cremation is a cheaper option and eco-friendly. I’m going to let her know about this information for her to consider.
I never knew that cremation is friendly towards the environment. My grandma’s health hasn’t been too great recently and she is wanting us to pre-plan her funeral. Thank you for the information about the benefits of cremation.
My brother has been sick and we are preparing for the worst. I’m glad you mentioned that cremation services can offer a unique opportunity for the loved one to spread the deceased ashes or keep them if they please. Someone recently told me that a friend of theirs passed away and they spread his ashes in his favorite park.
There’s no doubt that the pros overcome the cons when it comes to cremation. I’m glad to know that an open-casket funeral can still be had if cremation is chosen instead of interment. This was one of our main concerns when planning our aunt’s service now that she’s very sick. Thank you for the information! I’ll start getting quotations from funeral homes now.
My grandma’s last wish is that when she dies, she wants her burial to be environmental-friendly. Thanks to your article because I learned that cremations are nature-friendly and more cost-effective than the burial services. I’ll definitely share this learning with my dad, and contact the most affordable cremation service in our area to discuss the arrangements and design choices for urns.
It’s good that you point out that cremation is a very cost-effective burial option. I want my family to pay as little as possible when I die, so I’m considering being cremated. I’m going to look for a good funeral business that offers cremation services in my area.
It’s good that you point out that cremation is environmentally friendly. I want to do my part to save the planet, so I’m considering having myself cremated after I die. I’m going to look for a good funeral home that offers cremations services in my area.
It’s helpful that you point out that cremation is much more economical than being buried in the traditional way. I want to save my family money after I die, so I’m thinking about having myself cremated. I’m going to look for a good funeral home that provides cremation services in my area to use.
Thank you for telling me that traditional burial is more preferred and expected by people compared to just attending a cremation service. It might be the choice my grandmother would choose if she were alive right now since she really loves to see our whole family in one place. It might be a good idea to start looking for funeral homes that can accommodate us since my mom, along with my uncles and aunts are all busy grieving.
It helped me a lot when you said that cremation can be a quicker process and easier and simpler to plan. A couple of weeks ago my mom received the news that her elderly aunt was in the hospital, and this morning we heard that she had passed away surrounded by her children. As far as I could tell, her direct family is thinking about having a cremation for her since it would be what she would have wanted.
It’s wonderful that you mention that cremation is more friendly to the environment than being buried in the traditional way. I want to do my part to protect the environment, so I’m considering being cremated after I die. I’m going to search in my area for a reputable funeral home that offers cremation services with which I can make the arrangements.
It’s interesting that this article mentions that cremation is more affordable than having a burial. I want to make sure that my family doesn’t have to spend a lot of money after I die, so I’m thinking about opting for cremation. I’m going to search for a good funeral home in my area that offers cremation services.
I like the part where you mentioned that cremation services are cost-efficient compared to traditional ones. I’m pretty sure that my mother would like this too since she doesn’t want to spend a lot on her death. Although she’s still physically healthy, I see nothing wrong with coordinating a funeral home and pre-arranging this service.
Thank you for pointing out that cremation is more cost-effective than a traditional burial. I want to save as much money for my family as possible, so I’m thinking about opting to be cremated when I die. I’m going to search for a reputable funeral home in the area that offers cremation services.
Your points about cremation and how it’s much quicker and easier to do really caught my attention. My family has never been a fan of the long and drawn-out funeral ceremonies that usually happen when someone passes, so having a ceremony that we can do on our own terms sounds much better for us. I’ll remember this next time we need a memorial service so we can consult nearby crematories for this instead.
I never knew that cremation is an environmentally friendly option for a funeral. My father has been thinking about pre-planning his funeral, and we are looking for advice about what to do. I will make sure to contact a funeral home to help us.
Thank you so much for mentioning many people who choose cremation because it is more cost-efficient. An average burial costs $2000-$3000, but cremation is often a third of that cost. My parents are already old. The fact that they will no longer stay long is already heartily accepted. And when the moment comes I will make sure we will do all that we can to provide a beautiful and respectful ceremony. This article gives me all the information I need in looking for the best funeral services in town.
The quicker and simpler process that cremation is really caught my attention. As someone who’s been to several funerals, I’ve openly admitted that I never liked them because they’re so long and drawn out making the mourning process even more depressing. My family would like to mourn on our own terms, so the next time we need a memorial, I’ll look for a cremation service to assist us.