10 reasons to plan your own funeral this New Year
Everyone’s New Year’s resolutions are different. Losing weight, saving money or quitting a bad habit often top the list, but it’s unlikely that many people will view organising their funeral as one way of saving money and making life easier for loved ones – a great resolution if there ever was one.
Here are ten reasons why you should consider planning your own funeral this New Year.
1. You can ensure your wishes will be followed
Funeral plans are one of the most popular methods of setting out your wishes and making sure they are adhered to, by using a professional funeral planner or director to create a goodbye that is aligned with your wants and requests.
Organising a funeral can be a stressful and upsetting time for family or loved ones, so planning your own funeral the way you’d like it before the time comes is a great way of taking these stresses and strains away.
2. You can choose a funeral that fits your budget
A benefit of choosing a funeral plan is that you’ll know how much it will cost in total, with no added ‘surprises’ at the end. This means you can cut out the things that don’t matter as much, or focus costs on a particular area, e.g. flowers or a memorial. It’s also a great away of keeping costs low if you’d rather the cash went to your loved ones.
3. You can share your ideas with loved ones
It can be difficult to talk about funerals up front. Many family members don’t want to focus on something that always feels very far off, or they may dismiss any serious conversations about funerals because it isn’t a particularly comfortable topic to talk about. By going one step further and actually making your own funeral arrangements, you can make the whole thing feel a bit more ‘real’ to those involved. It can also open up opportunities for dialogue surrounding wishes, funeral readings, music or even things like the will.
4. You'll be able to pick the right funeral provider
Like any service, funeral directors and funeral plan companies come with a reputation, so picking the right one comes down to research. If you were going to book a holiday, then a trusted travel agent or extensive research on the destination always makes for a good holiday. When planning your own funeral, doing your research to find the right funeral provider is equally as important, as not all funeral providers will operate to the same standards. This means that you’ll enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that your loved ones will be taken care in the hands of a professional and empathetic funeral arranger.
Find out what to look for when choosing a funeral plan provider.
5. You can tailor your funeral to how you want it
Ever wanted a particular song at your funeral, or the flag of your favourite football team to be draped over your coffin? Funeral directors get many personalised, unique requests almost every day, so arranging a funeral plan provides you with the opportunity to pick and choose exactly what you want. Whether that’s selecting the right house of worship and religious leader or having a passage read from your favourite book, funeral plans can often be tailored to match almost every request, within reason.
6. You can pay for your funeral upfront
One of the biggest advantages of taking out a funeral plan is that you can agree on a cost up front, then either clear the payment or arrange to pay in instalments over a certain period of time. This means you can pay for your own funeral and take away the financial burden from children or family members, rather than leaving them to deal with it once you’re gone!
We offer a variety of funeral plans to suit every budget, as well as information on why certain elements of the funeral cost more than others. You can view our range of prepaid funeral plans here.
7. It'll take the stress away from loved ones
Arranging a funeral is up there when it comes stressful life moments, especially if the person was particularly close. When someone is grieving, trying to organise what is a pretty big event can either be a focal point or another burden, so by making your own funeral arrangements and having everything settled can make life a lot easier for everyone.
8. It'll give you peace of mind
Peace of mind is vastly underrated and can take a load off your mind, even if you hadn’t already started to consider planning your own funeral or what will happen when you die. In 2017, over 200,000 people purchased a funeral plan, citing various reasons, but a lot of the time it simply comes down to peace of mind. Knowing that there isn’t anything to worry about (or indeed anything for anyone else to worry about) can let you get on with enjoying life, instead of focusing on the worry of your family having to start planning your funeral after you've gone.
9. There'll be more time to make decisions
When the day eventually comes, sadly a timer begins to tick. Funerals tend to be turned around in a week or two, so as well as having to deal with the grief of losing a loved one, quick decisions need to be made about everything from cars and flowers, to readings and eulogies in a short period of time. Planning your own funeral service with help from a funeral plan means you could have years to make these decisions, instead of leaving it to someone who likely isn’t in the best frame of mind to choose what you would have wanted.
10. You can get all the support you'll need
Planning your own funeral with an established funeral provider means you’ll be getting access to trained professionals with extensive experience of arranging funerals. Whether it’s questions about the processes involved with funerals or finding out what needs to be done when, good funeral providers will always be able to answer yours or your families questions when needed.
If you arrange a funeral with Simplicity, we also provide an online GriefChat to help grieving relatives at what will be an emotional time, as well as a team of trained funeral experts who can respond to all funeral-related questions, giving you the answers you need.
Hopefully these reasons highlight just why planning your own funeral can be so beneficial. So why not add it to the New Year’s resolution list? It’s infinitely more important than trying to give up cake or cut out alcohol for a few weeks.
For help planning your own funeral, contact us today.