How to Select a Casket on a Limited Budget

With the high cost of funeral arrangements today, one of the more costly elements of funeral planning is the purchase of the casket.  If you are on a limited budget, selecting the right casket can go a long way toward avoiding overspending while still providing your deceased loved one with a casket that is secure and attractive.

• Determine if any money had been set aside for purchasing a casket.  If there is no funeral insurance, there is always the chance that some money was placed into an account and earmarked for funeral expenses. If not, pull family and friends together and determine how much can be raised in order to buy the casket and defray other funeral expenses.


• Set a range for the cost of the casket.  Given the amount of money that can be spent, determine a minimum and maximum amount to spend.  This approach will serve as the starting point for evaluating different models and coming up with one that is affordable but does not look cheap.


• Consult with the funeral home.  Many homes have budget plans that work well when there is not a lot of money to manage funeral expenses, including the purchase of the casket.  The less expensive plans will often include caskets that are devoid of a lot of extras, but are still of high quality and have a classic streamlined appearance. 


• Consider floor models.  Many funeral homes will provide a discount on the purchase of caskets that have been used in displays and may have a practically indistinguishable flaw of some type.  Assuming the flaw is not something that affects the seal on the casket or greatly diminishes the appearance, this approach can save a significant amount of money.


• Go online.  Caskets can sometimes be direct ordered from manufacturers and shipped overnight to the destination of your choice.  Keep in mind that before assuming this direct order method will save money, combine the price of the casket with the shipping costs to get a true idea of the expense.  Compare that to the costs of caskets obtained from local sources before making a final selection.


• Keep your emotions and the practical matter of cost in balance. Choosing a casket for a loved one while in mourning can be an emotionally charged process, with many people feeling it necessary to spend a ton of money on the casket, out of respect for the departed.  Balance the need to not create additional financial burdens on the survivors with the desire to honor your departed loved one.  While it may be difficult to turn down a pricier casket with a lot of extras in favor of a simpler model that is within the range of the budget, remember that your loved one would most likely not like to see the family go into debt over a casket.