Some people are opting for “green” funerals these days to avoid the high cost, financial burden and emotional stress and strain on the family at the time of death of a loved one. A typical “green” funeral without cremation consists mainly of nothing more than opting out of a public viewing of the body so the body and the environment does not have to be violated through the embalming process. Then the cheapest casket and minimal “itemized” funeral costs are chosen so the funeral service company, or funeral home as they are generally known as, does not prey on the family’s emotions. And finally the loved one is placed at a “green” cemetery where there are no manicured lawns and costly headstones and instead a tree is planted on top of the grave.
Too often when you go to a typical funeral home to arrange a funeral the people you see standing around looking sympathetic and helpful may possibly really only be there to “feel out” who the more emotionally stressed out individual is in the family and then report back to the funeral home management who the most vulnerable person is in the grieving family group that the funeral home salespeople can possibly lean on for getting the most money spent for the funeral.
Understand that these days most funeral homes, like the family friendly, neighborhood funeral parlor in your town that has been around for decades, are now owned by basically two corporate conglomerates that have not changed the family friendly, neighborhood names so that unsuspecting funeral home consumers will still feel comfortable doing business with these well known, family friendly, neighborhood funeral service company names which, critics charge, these days are possibly being managed by hungry, greedy corporate conglomerates out to make as much money as possible off every funeral.
Other things you may want to be aware of to save money instead of giving it to the funeral home in a moment of emotional weakness is opt for a funeral contract with “itemized” costs, like use of a hearse but no limousines needed or no guest sign-in books or prayer cards and so on. This way you know exactly what you are paying for because if you sign off on a “general” contract you could get billed for things you never dreamed of being billed for because, remember, the funeral home may possibly be there to make as much money as possible on every funeral.
Despite what the funeral home may tell you even the costly and violating process of embalming may not be necessary unless the family wants a public viewing or does not plan to bury the body before 72 hours or the body is being transported across state lines. Otherwise, embalming does not stop the body from deteriorating, unlike what the funeral home salesperson may tell you, and embalming is a violent procedure.
During embalming there is nothing dignified about the mouth being wired shut, the eyes being forced shut by most any means necessary and the blood and body organs being sucked out and drained with a machine and the remains being flushed down the sewer. Who knows where these remains could end up once it hits the sewer? If the embalming process takes place near any city or county water source then it is possible these water sources could be contaminated with these remains.
What funeral home consumers may also not be aware of is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Funeral Rule. This law states that no funeral home anywhere in the U.S. can force you to buy a casket from the funeral home. This means you can have virtually almost the same casket delivered to the funeral home for funeral services and save up to 50% or more on the cost that the funeral home would charge you for a casket.
Remember, the casket you choose to buy from the funeral home gets delivered essentially overnight to the funeral home because the typical funeral home does not have an inventory of every type of casket imaginable on hand. This means, due to the FTC Funeral Rule, you could go out and buy a casket online, for example, and have it delivered essentially overnight to the funeral home and save a lot of money in the process.
SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCE: REDDIT COMMENTER ON AOL NEWS 8/21/13