Pre-Purchase a Burial Plot and Casket
If you plan to live out your days in the same town and want to be buried in a local cemetery, investing in a burial plot before you need it can result in cost savings. After all, real estate prices usually go up, not down, and your final resting place is no exception. Many cemeteries will offer financing plans, which does add to the overall cost but avoids one big out-of-pocket expense. All the cemeteries I’m familiar with require full payment for the plot when you purchase at-need (that means, when you have a body you want to bury NOW).
Depending on the type of casket desired, you can realize tremendous savings purchasing ahead of need. A plain pine box made by a local woodworker can be half the cost of a casket provided by a funeral home. There are woodworkers who make coffins that double as bookcases, coffee tables, wine racks, and entertainment centers, until the time comes to take out the other stuff and put in a body.
Military and Veterans Benefits
Those who have served in the military and their spouses and minor age children are entitled to free grave sites and burials in national cemeteries. Veteran’s death benefits include a cemetery plot, opening and closing of the grave, and a memorial stone. A memorial stone can also be provided free by the federal government for placement in other cemeteries, but you have to accept the established format and size for military markers.
Members of the military and their dependents can also request burial at sea. However, because the committal ceremony is performed from a Navy vessel while the ship is deployed, family members cannot be present.