Dealing with the death of a loved one is a very emotionally stressful time for those left behind. Grief may drive the family to make decisions which are not the soundest ones to come to. This behavior springs from the very natural desire to fully honor the deceased, but in many cases much of what the bereaved agree to is unwarranted and costly. For those planning their own final arrangements, this should also be a primary consideration. After all, the last thing anyone should want to do is to saddle their family with heavy costs for the end of one’s own life.
According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average cost of a “regular adult funeral”, as they classify the service, can run to over $7000. This includes embalming, viewing, and a plain metal casket. And these costs do not include those for the cemetery plot, tombstone or marker, flowers, obituary notices and other miscellaneous costs. A vault in a mausoleum can run anywhere from $800-$2000. And while the average price for a decent casket is around $2000, excessive grief can lead to the family buying one costing from $3500 and up to a maximum $12,000. The reality is that a family should be looking at a minimum cost of around $10,000. From a practical standpoint, is it really logical to go to these lengths to honor the deceased and arrange perpetual care for a body in the ground or a vault?
Consider cremation as an alternative. On average, the cremation cost in Oceanside CA falls in for around $500 to $700. That’s for the total of all services, plus necessary fees and certifications required by law. While those costs could top out at around $3000 at the high end, that still is comparable to the cost of a decent casket alone. Now, a funeral service could be held at the home, complete with a viewing in a temporary casket and eventual inurnment in a much smaller cemetery plot, a communal plot, or a vault in a columbarium. Or the family may directly take delivery of the ashes in a sealed urn and arrange for their own memorial service at a later date which they can manage on their own terms. So on balance, cremation cost in Oceanside CA is far more economical not only money-wise but more importantly in terms of emotional stress as well. It’s one decision which makes the most sense.
