Many grieving families in the United States have, for decades, suffered from buyer’s regret after paying much more than they expected for funeral and burial services for a loved one. Final expenses are just, well, expensive, people have learned. For a detailed breakdown, see How Much Does A Funeral Cost? And they’ve only become more expensive with every passing generation since about the middle of the 20th century. And this problem for consumers has only gotten worse since the death care industry began to be overtaken by large corporations whose entire mission is to buy smaller death care industry companies, consolidate resources so as to cut expenses, and then to take advantage of reduced competition by raising prices (and, accordingly, profit margins).
As this trend toward higher and higher prices seems to be spiraling out of control (some analysts have observed that the total cost for funerals and burials has doubled every ten years for at least the last 3 decades) more and more families have decided that hiring a death care corporation to help with their loved one’s final arrangements may be a mistake. This thought has led many to begin investigating the industry’s growing number of other options – alternatives to corporate burial. We will address some of those in the remainder of this article.
Family Cemetery
One of the most popular alternatives to corporate burial is to simply start (or revisit) a family cemetery. These obscure plots of land are often plotted out on family property so as to assure that it will hardly be missed if the property owner were to decide to sell the rest of the property. Such an ingenious real estate move can end up saving a family tens of thousands of dollars off the cost of burial for dozens of friends and relatives, and it can leave a family with a great deal of control over its memorial legacy. It can establish its own rules for headstones and perpetual care, for example, and not have to rely upon the whims of a for-profit corporation for those important details. Likewise, a family cemetery can even offer plots for sale to friends of the family – usually at a fraction of the cost that a family would pay to a corporate run cemetery – thereby allowing the cemetery to make a little money to offset any expenses the family might incur in setting aside the property as a cemetery in perpetuity. All-in-all, a family cemetery – though it cannot be built on just any piece of property but must be established in accordance with local and state laws in effect in the area – is usually a wise investment for any group that has the foresight to establish it as an alternative to corporate burials for the family.
Non-Corporate Cemetery
For those who may not have the capital resources or real estate property available to establish a family cemetery, another great alternative to corporate burial is to simply find a non-corporate cemetery with which to do business. These establishments may not be easy to find in some areas because they often do not advertise their offerings – in an effort to save money, of course. Rather, they rely upon word-of-mouth and the own interpersonal relationships of their principal owners (and the families of those buried on their property) to get the word out about openings on their property. Many of these non-corporate cemeteries offer their plots for free to members of certain groups such as churches, civic groups or even families. Non-corporate cemeteries can sometimes be found in very surprising places such as deep in pastures behind rural family homes, nearby the ruins of historic old churches or, sometimes in the middle of inner-city neighborhoods that have been all-but abandoned. As these locales may indicate, non-corporate cemeteries may not offer the most prestigious burial location for a loved one, but the truth is that even the most ornate and beautifully landscaped cemetery might not be that way for more than a decade or two. Just one change in ownership – which could happen frequently in this day of corporate consolidation of cemeteries – could lead a prestigious cemetery to a frustrating state of disrepair in just a matter of a year or two of neglect. So, families that choose non-corporate cemeteries as alternatives to corporate burial may be settling for less glitz and glamor in the immediate aftermath of a death, but they stand a good chance of getting the last laugh over those who have paid much more for their grave plots, only to see the glamor whittle away into embarrassment in the long run.
Cremation Scattering
And, finally, cremation offers yet another bit of hope for those looking to avoid corporate burial. With cremation, of course, there is no need for burial at all, making it, in many cases, the least expensive way to dispose of a loved one’s body. A popular and meaningful alternative to corporate burial is to simply scatter the ashes of a loved one over a meaningful spot. This alternative does not necessarily have to cost anything, in fact. Crematory personnel typically return the remains of a deceased person to the family in either a cremation urn of the family’s choice or in a container provided by the crematory itself – often marked “temporary urn” as a subtle marketing trick designed to entice families to purchase a “permanent” urn from the crematory itself. (There is nothing legally, morally, ethically, or sanitarily questionable about leaving the ashes in their “temporary” urn for decades, and in fact, many families do just that. The ashes can be transferred to a “permanent” home at any point by any person (no special training, skill or license is required to transfer the ashes, by the way)). Once the ashes are in the family’s possession, there is little limit to the options for what the family can do with them. Scattering, then, is a popular option. Families do have to be careful that they be careful to secure permission of property owners if they intend to scatter ashes on land they do not own, but, other than that, there are very few restrictions – or costs – associated with cremation ash scattering, and that fact makes this a perfect – even refreshing – alternative to corporate burial for many families.