Have you thought about your funeral lately? You’re probably going to say no because, let’s face it, death and dying are not things we often think about. It’s not the most pleasant of subjects to think about and not necessarily a priority. However, deep down we all accept that death is a fact of life and someday funeral arrangements will be necessary, but for so many of us, that day feels like a long way away.
Funeral plans are a great way to plan your funeral ahead of time and there are many reasons why you should consider one.
It Helps With the Grieving Process
If there is no plan in place, it leaves your loved ones with many tasks to take care of. They’ll also have numerous decisions to make in the first few days after a loved one passes.
Think of a prepaid funeral plan as a gift for your loved ones because it removes the financial stress and burden of planning your funeral. Instead, they’ll have more time to spend together supporting and grieving in a healthy way.
It Can Save Money
With a prepaid funeral plan, you have the time to explore the options and create a plan that fits your budget and preferences. It also saves your family from having to cover the cost of your funeral.
The cost of a funeral continues to rise every year, but with a funeral plan, you pay for your funeral at today’s prices and avoid inflation. Your plan locks in almost all of your funeral expenses at today’s costs. Therefore, the earlier you prepay, the more you stand to save overall.
You Get the Opportunity to Make Your Wishes Known
One of the most common reasons for preplanning a funeral is so that a person’s wishes can be honoured. However, before you preplan your funeral you have to know what you want.
For example, do you want:
- A religious service?
- To be buried or cremated?
- A viewing?
- What kind of coffin or urn do you want?
You’ve probably got a general idea but you need to think about the specifics if you want to make the most of a funeral plan. We’d all like to think our loved ones will know what we want, but realistically, that’s just not the case. Also, they’ll be making decisions at a very emotional time which can cloud people’s thinking.
You Get Peace of Mind
Nobody looks forward to thinking about their death, but the discomfort of thinking through your funeral is far outweighed by the feeling of relief that surely follows. Once the funeral plan is in place and paid for, you don’t have to think about it anymore.
We all know that one day we’re going to die, but we can’t predict exactly when it will happen. Therefore, you shouldn’t put off making plans. The sooner you do it the better. You never know what’s around the corner.
Reduces Family Conflict
Family members often have different views on the way your funeral should be carried out. This often leads to discomfort and conflict among the people you love. Pre-planning your funeral reduces this conflict because you’ve made the decisions ahead of time.
Your loved ones know exactly how you want your funeral to go and as long as they know there is a funeral plan, there will be nothing for them to worry about.
Life is Unpredictable
Nobody possesses a crystal ball and even with the best of intentions, there’s no way to predict what life has in store for you. The unpredictability of life makes it prudent and timely to preplan your funeral as soon as you can.
Document Your Final Wishes
If you don’t want your funeral plans to go to waste it’s important that you document your final wishes and share them with your loved ones before the funeral.
The simplest way is to write them down on a piece of paper and hand a copy to each member of your family or a few of your close friends. However, pieces of paper can go missing, so it might also be worthwhile sending each person a copy online. Forward your wishes in an email or share them on a social networking messaging platform. There are also cloud-serving services that might be a more secure option.
Final Thoughts
Have you started making your funeral plans yet? Do you consider it too early to start thinking about such sombre things? It might seem sombre, but you should get your affairs in order to be prepared for the unexpected.
Don’t leave the responsibility of your final arrangements to fall on your loved ones during a very difficult time. Think of preplanning as your final gift to the loved ones you leave behind.
