funerals and expenses.????

[pumba]

After reading the post about helping to pay for fil;s buriel and funeral. HOW many of you have paid for your own and got all your ducks in a row (so to speak)......My sister passed away six months ago and I really hated the big cemetery she is at. Must be over ten thousand places there. SO hubby and I went out on our vacation this summer and bought first four places and then turned around and bought the lots next to ours so now we have 8. We also went to a monument company and picked out our stone and it is now in place. I do not want our children to have to worry about our funeral or expenses. It felt weird (to see our names) but it is something else to see our final resting place.

 

[golfgal]

We haven't but when I went to plan my Grandpa's funeral he had purchased the spot next to my Grandma when she died for $100 quite a while ago and that saved a lot of money on the expenses. He had picked out most of what he wanted for the funeral, etc. though.

 

[DawnCt1]

When my Dad died, my mother purchased two plots. Since I plan to live forever, I won't be needing one.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We have life insurance on us and the kiddos. We have the means to at least charge or set up a financing plan until the insurance payments come through.

As far as final resting place--we have not picked a spot yet nor pre-payed anything for it.

 

[DawnCt1]

The only thing I want said at my wake and funeral is "LOOK, SHE'S STILL ALIVE!"

 

[SC Minnie]

My parents have their plots. My grandparents (Dad's parents) bought 2 for my Dad and Mom 20+ years ago next to them. they have sinces divorced and remarried. Mom told me a couple of months ago that she doens't want to be buried there and she and her new husband have plots somewhere else. DH and I don't have arrangement but our church is starting a columbarium (sp?) and we may buy 'space' there. DH really wants to be cremated and his ashes spread in the water off St Thomas. Not sure if that is even possible.

DH and I have enough life insurance to cover out final expenses as well as a small policy on DD.

 

[pennst8r]

My grandfather (94!) just pre-paid his funeral expenses in the fall. It was creepy to go with him to pick out a casket (good thing the funeral director is a friend of the family, so he understood us making really bad jokes to ease the tension!) He insisted, so that we wouldn't have to worry about it. He's such a wonderful man.

I think too many people from older generations (parents) don't realize the costs involved, and have very small amounts of life insurance. Funerals didn't cost as much as they do now when they were young, and let's face it...most people don't just go pricing them. It's not until there's a death you're involved in paying for that you see the cost.

My ILs have purchased some insurance that will cover all the costs if they need to go to a nursing home at some point. That's another thing no one wants to think of.

 

[EthansMom]

DH and I both have life insurance that will cover funeral expenses, with money left over. We're both organ donors, have wills, living wills, and health care power of attorneys. We've discussed what we would do/like to have done if one of us were to die. DH knows I would prefer to be cremated and would have him cremated, if something were to happen to him first.

I've also discussed my Mom's wishes with her. She's only in her 50s, so I think she'll be around for a long time still, but she would prefer to have side-by-side plots with her DH in the local Catholic cemetary, someplace away from the road. I told her I'd have an angel engraved on her headstone since she loves angels. She and her DH have life insurance, as well.

I'm not certain what my Dad's wishes are for when he passes, but I'm sure he has life insurance and that his wife knows his wishes. As long as I'm invited to any memorial service or funeral for him, I'm fine with whatever plans are made.

I have no idea what the ILs plans are regarding their deaths or whether they have insurance. However, they all have enough assets that their estates should be able to cover the costs of funerals and DH and his brothers see eye-to-eye enough that they should be able to agree on arrangements.

Regarding the DISer referenced, I too would be upset if someone spent money on funeral arrangements for a family member, without asking how much I could contribute, and then TOLD me how much money they expected me to pay. It's one thing if I'm given a phone call and told, "There's no life insurance. Could you pay $1000 toward the expenses?" up front and another when you're given a bill after the fact.

 

[4cruisin]

Dh and I have not "pre-arranged" for our funeral as yet but we do have plenty of life insurance to cover the cost of everything. We have discussed how we want things handled, where we are to be buried and what type of headstone we want.

I don't think people realize just how expensive the cost of services can be. I was so surprised when my mom's was so high and honestly we did not do anything extravagant and we already had the plot and headstone.

 

[chesirechik]

Since my father is the manager and head salesman at a cemetary and funeral home, mine is already in place and I'm only 26!!! My entire family has plots in one section of the cemetary.

I guess this kind of stuff doesn't bother me since he's worked there my entire life and my brother and I used to play in the display casket room when we were little and waiting for him to get off of work.

 

[dejavu]

DH & I have not preplanned our funerals but do have life insurance and a estate plan in place with wills,living wills & power of attorney in place. My Dad who passed in April and my still living Mom did funeral pre planning and it was very much appreciated by us all when my Dad died , not only did it not burden us financially but emotionally it was easier not having to "guess" at what his wishes were. DH & I will do pre planning sometime in the future for sure. I think it is a small thing you can do for your family when you are still alive that has a huge impact once you are gone.

 

[Skatermom23]

DH and I will be buried at Arlington. We have a paper prepared with all the contact numbers on it. My dad was recently buried there as well and mom will be to, when her time comes.

 

[SleepyMom]

When our son passed away 14 years ago we bought three spots so that we will be buried next to him, so that past is taken care of. We have not purchased a stone though.

We have our funerals pre-planned, but not pre-paid. We both carry more than enough life insurance to cover all expenses. The little things are picked out though so that it won't be a burden to our girls, music, location, etc...

Now I only wish that our families would do the same, but as far as I know we are the only ones on both sides. My Mom's DH is 83 years old and she is in her 60's and neither of them have done anything, and there's no life insurance that I know of. It's not going to be fun.

 

[Chattyaholic]

My parents bought their cemetery plot several years ago, and have their stone already on it as well. About a year ago they pre-paid for their funerals as well, so most of the hard stuff is already done for them, which is great.

DH and I do own our cemetery plot (5-grave plot for only $100 about 20 years ago), but we don't have our stone yet (would like to by the time we're 60 though, 10 years away). We haven't pre-paid for our funerals, but we both have life insurance policies that will more than coveer them.

 

[luvwinnie]

Haven't planned anything, but our life insurance more than covers the expenses. If we pass away together the life insurance goes to my nieces and MIL.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

The only person in my immediate family that I'm sure has done any planning is my mother, and that's mainly because I know some things were done before my father passed in 1991. Of course, she's 73 but looks 10 years younger and in very good health and stays active, so she'll be around a while.

Funerals are more expensive than most people realize -- around $6000 to $7000, and that's not counting the burial plot, opening and closing the grave, or the headstone.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I don't have a burial plot (may not be living in this area when I die) but there is money to bury me. If I was terminally ill or much older I might make more plans.

 

[inaminute]

We haven't actually purchased anyting, but both have enough insurance to cover expenses with plenty left over. We both know what the other wants as do both sons and our ex-DIL. So we have an "informal" plan, I guess.

 

[debden]

We have life insurance on us and the kiddos. We have the means to at least charge or set up a financing plan until the insurance payments come through.

As far as final resting place--we have not picked a spot yet nor pre-payed anything for it.

In my book Life Insurance is the BIGGEST necessity in life.Think about it! Imagine dying tommorrow and having no life insurance?Leaving your family with a BIG funeral bill and no money left over to live on.I am such an advocate of Life Insurance.Yes.That's right.Ever since a coworker died at a young age and had no life insurance for his family to bury him I always tell people that the best thing you can leave your family is the knowledge that your costs will be covered if you should die all of a sudden.So if you do not have Life Insurance get it and get it now.
The sad thing about my co-worker dying and having no life insurance is that he could have signed up for a $15,000 policy at work for only two lousy dollars a week!! Yes that's $2 a week would have saved his family the financial hardship of burying him.
I asked my sister if her and her husband (both in their 50's) had life insurance.She said that she did but her husband did not.So I preached my song to her about how very important it is that he GET it and now.You know what she said? She said 'No way Deborah.He's only 52 years old.He's not going to die for a long,long time'!! What? Is she kidding.
OK,OK I'm through.Sorry to bluster on so.I'm sure everyones got the point.
Debbie

 

[ZachnElli]

Dh and I don't have anything planned or bought for our funerals, but we are big believers in life insurance too and have very healthy policies in place. Dh was even looking at adding another just yesterday, I told him we had enough! I know my parents have every last detail in place and paid for. Dh's parents on the other hand, well that won't be fun. I'm sure it all fall on us, despite dh having 3 siblings. And they are the worst money managers I have ever seen, my in-laws that is.