• Funeral planning before it is needed can make a difficult time less stressful.Sarg im Grab image by Christian Allweier from Fotolia.com
  
  Planning a funeral can be less stressful if you know the type of costs you will face. The cost of a funeral can vary greatly depending on personal decisions such as the choice of burial or cremation, flowers and ceremony. The cost will also vary among funeral homes, so it pays to shop around.
  
  

Service Fees

• The funeral home will charge you a service fee for coordination of the funeral arrangements, to pay for attendants and to obtain any necessary permits. This is a standard fee that cannot be turned down by the purchaser.
  
  

Optional Costs

• For an additional fee, the funeral home will provide cremation services, hearse and limousine rental, embalming and body transportation. The family can cut some costs in this area. Ask the funeral director about the cost for cremation versus interment. Take a family car to the cemetery instead of renting a limousine. Hold a memorial at home instead of a formal viewing or ceremony at the funeral home.
  
  

Disbursements

• Part of the optional services a funeral home will provide is the coordination of flowers, providing a clergy member, providing music and submitting obituary notices. If someone in the family is willing to take on the task of obtaining these items instead, or if the family decides some or all of them are unnecessary, then the costs can be excluded from the funeral planning budget.
  
  

Package

• Some funeral homes may offer you a funeral package that includes many of the services you require. Before you accept the package, ask for an itemized breakdown of the costs. Carefully review the list to make sure you require all the services included. If not, you may spend more on a package than you would for the individual items you do want.
  
  

Peace

• Spending a lot of money on a funeral does not prove your love for the deceased. And paying extra to put the casket in a sealed vault to preserve the body indefinitely may not serve much purpose. However, peace of mind is priceless. Balance the needs of the family to formally say goodbye against what the family can comfortably afford.