General Chat

They are so scaremongering. Why would you be responsible for hotel expenses etc when you lose someone
If someone wants to attend a funeral they make their own arrangements surely


When hubby passed away we knew folks would have to travel so daughter and I arranged the funeral to allow family time to travel

From home it was only OH and one car for us and the family met us at the crematorium
We asked folks for numbers who would attend so as to provide for after funeral reception

We didn't pay for any thing else

Hubby had a very dignified funeral and after reception for just over £3500


The adverts for more than that are just,scaremongering

trouble is eveyone is out to make money whatever the occaision is.

Can I be chucked overboard and be useful in feeding the fishes.
Probably be more of a pollutant
:-(

I hate them also Shirley. I have a rant every time one comes on !

Put me on a garden fire or chuck me in a deep hole. I don't care. Why should I? It's not as if I will be able to take part in anything. I've told my family I don't want anything, cheaper the better. By all means have a party and a booze up, but don't expect me to leave any money for it as I'm bequeathing anything I may have to some obscure charity like save the gerbil or something.

I hate these cold callers and can't even be bothered to play games with them anymore. :-D

I agree Eldrick. I've told my children to put my body forward for medical research.
Helps forensics - and they provide the funeral (albeit a couple of years later)

Yeah, I would be happy with that. Its not like its going to make any difference to us.

I agree Shirley, but I don't find the funeral plan adverts particularly scary - just very annoying. There is absolutely no need to spend the amount of money stated in some adverts...funerals can be kept to a bare minimum. I don't like some of the things I see on FB either, where families are setting up a fund to ask for help in financing a funeral for a relative. Horse and carriage funerals are not my scene - keep it simple but tasteful.

Due to circumstances, OH watches daytime television quite a lot. All we get, is a constant stream of adverts featuring funeral plans, sick children, starving children and cruelty to animals. Most of these request that we donate to each and every worthy cause - it must be thought that those who watch television during the day have limitless funds! :-|

I once received unsolicited an offer to pre pay for a funeral package.

Their sales pitch concluded with an apology if their offer had arrived at
a sensitive time :-(

The direct calls annoy me too.
I was fielding them very soon after my husband died and told them it was a sensitive time and I was fully aware how much funerals cost.

A friend was telling me that someone she knows died and a funeral firm was contacted.
Thinking that the money involved was beyond their means, they approached a small family run firm, who provided the same requested funeral for over £1000 less.

Few would want to 'ring around' following a loved one's death, so perhaps it's wise to investigate beforehand.

A dignified simpler the better funeral suits me, without copious amounts of flowers to feed the cemetery's rabbits.

I read (cannot verify it) that US companies bought up most if not all of the UK
funeral directors / undertakers who kept the business name that people were familiar with.

OH and I both have pre-paid funeral plans. They were taken out several years ago and cover a basic church service, undertaker's fees for coffin, hearse and one car. In other words, the essentials. Total cost £1600.00 each, which is dirt cheap compared with some of today's prices.

If the children want a party, that's up to them!

I think that's a myth - a quick bit of research at companies house shows no relationship with any US companies.

I wonder what the cost of a Viking funeral would be? I might ask for a quote.

Joan, I hope so! The idea is that pre-paid funeral plans are actually insurance policies. The premium is calculated on what you want at your funeral, so the initial cost varies.

There are several places that do them, including the Coop Funeral care, but ours are through AgeUK, and we arranged them with the local funeral director (who said he enjoyed doing them because we weren't grieving relatives) and were told that if we no longer lived here the plan could be transferred to another company.

It was recommended by our solicitor when we were drawing up our wills.

Even if the children have to add to it, the main costs should be covered.

I think the most basic church service would be the church and the officiating minister. We were asked if we wanted an organist (yes), choir (no), and which hymns/psalms.

Because we are being cremated we chose the simplest coffins, but we could have had more expensive ones if we'd wanted.

We spread the payments over 10 months at no extra charge, and then we stopped worrying about who was going to pay for the funerals.

Eldrick, a bit ostentatious, but maybe you could ask these guys :-D
There's drinking and activities in the halls all night - so a suitable 'wake' :-D :-D

Scroll down for the best (night time) pictures: (by night time, I mean from 3pm onwards - it gets dark early there in January)

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/gallery/2017/jan/31/up-helly-aa-festival-in-shetland-in-pictures

I've no doubt you could visit an undertaker and discuss prices and pay now.

You'd have to ensure your next of kin was aware of the arrangement.

Been there, Maggie - got to love the Vikings! Will be back later this year as well to photograph the aurora. I was thinking more of a rowing boat on the duck pond.

Got me thinking - could quite fancy a jazz funeral then a wake back at the pub with sausages and the telly showing repeats of League of Gentleman.(some people will have to goggle that!) I will come up with some bizarre idea, I'm sure. As long as their is no white collared black robed people chanting patronising clichés I really couldn't care less :D

I've told my sister that I want direct disposal - cremation without a service, which should keep costs down. It's straightforward and no fuss, which is the way I like it.

I'm registered with the nearest teaching hospital to have my body 'taken away'. I have made provision in my will for cremation if this is not possible (they don't take you under certain causes of death).

Eldrick,
So you don't want Papa Lazarou?