With the new year ahead of us, and the media telling us things are going to get financially tighter, maybe it’s time to evaluate what you have, or should have, set aside for Funeral Expenses.
“I don’t think I have enough for a farewell,” this lady told me. “I don’t really want much, but it’s not about me it’s about the opportunity for my family to say farewell”. I assured her we can help financially to give her this opportunity without spending tens of thousands. This lady had put aside a little over $6,000 and many funerals now in the “tens” of thousands she was worried.
I shared with her a few stories of how we kept the cost down with small ‘informal farewells’ involving family and a few close friends ‘ both in our main Chapel in Hinemoa Street and our crematorium chapel in Valley Road, which both have flexible seating. They were focused on sharing memories, music, poems, and stories using simple elements like pictures, flowers, and articles from their hobbies, with the flexibility to change things as the mood led.
To keep the cost down with this ‘Informal Farewell” I suggested to her:
A simple pine casket
Flowers from home (ended up with from my garden)
Family lead (Funeral Director was happy to help lead and did so on the day)
Notices after the gathering, online only
Refreshments arranged by friends back at the house
No printed programme
By keeping things simple, like this, we were able to quote a set cost of $6295 which was well within her budget. Some Funeral Homes don’t have the flexibility to custom a Funeral to this extent, or to this price, but we do. The lady was quick to pre-pay her funeral through us to the Funeral Trust, which has no administration costs or fees and ongoing interest is paid to the client.
If you want to take advantage of this price too, or customise a farewell to your budget, contact us at Kapiti Coast Funeral Home.
