But during the recession many families are realizing that the extent of this particular debt is somewhat negotiable. For years, U.S. families have broken the bank to plan and execute nice funerals for their loved ones - according to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average funeral costs about $7,300, and that's not including the cemetery plot and burial fees!
This clash of this hard-to-manage expense and a down-the-drain economy is leading to two changes in the industry. One, cremation is up. Funeral homes often see an increase in cremation requests during a recession, and they certainly have this time around, with some funeral homes even reporting that interest in cremation has surpassed rates of earth burials. The former can save a family up to $4,000 or 5,000. Still, the U.S. has one of the lowest cremation rates in the developed world -
But also, many families are choosing home funerals. In all but six states no law requires that families consult a funeral home regarding their family member's burial. So, like the family profiled in this New York Times article, many are handling the arrangements themselves. The family profiled spent a total of $250, dressing the body themselves, holding a "wake"of sorts in their home, and using a homemade coffin.
A DIY funeral - very recessionista.
Why don't we adopt the Parsi practice of putting bodies in "Towers of Silence" where the vultures dispose of the remains? Eco-friendly (no wasted heat as in cremations and no despoliation of otherwise perfectly good gardens) and a pleasing cyclical trope. Skeletons have to be disposed of from time to time but they take up little space.
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