It always amazes me when people say they did not know they have the right to refuse embalming and save on funeral cost. Under a body of Congressional law called the funeral rule…You can refuse embalming and choose other options. This is back to the funeral cost basic of refusing embalming and harmful chemicals on the environment. After refusing embalming you can

1. Have a closed casket.

2. Choose cremation.

3 Have a home funeral where the deceased is packed in ice.

4. Have a memorial service at an alternate location such as a church.

The Peoples Memorial Association from the State of Washington has some good advice on all of this. Here is the link to helpful information.

http://www.peoples-memorial.org/planning_tips.cfm

More helpful funeral information can be found here:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak. #1 International Best Selling Author jason Oman also gave thumbs up to this book. This book is published by Morgan James Publishing.

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois

Be sure to let me know how you lowered the cost of your funerals.

This a tale of two funeral homes and their funeral cost. Funeral Cost Cash is eaten up by flashy Websites and facilities.Yes Funeral cost cash is often taken over by marketing websites and fancy corporate like funeral facilities. Worse yet corporate funeral homes are often disguised as Family Funeral Homes. The major corporations SCI and others do this. It is essential to know who you are dealing with in keeping down funeral cost.

A model funeral home: Barton Family Funeral Service states its philosophy well in keeping down Funeral Cost.

“Barton Family Funeral Service is founded on the belief that there is a better way to deal with death than the expensive offerings of the corporate funeral industry. We urge a return to traditional values, beliefs, and cultural practices that are often compromised when traditional funerals cost too much. The growing trend toward personalized last rites is really just a return to the ways our ancestors faced the reality of death.”

http://bartonfuneral.com/

By contrast this Funeral Home promotes it’s fancy facility and hides it’s prices behind a flash opener of it’s upscale facility.

http://www.calvertmemorial.com/

This flash is designed to take your funeral cost cash. Worse yet from our family to yours is actually quite a chain of funeral homes with expensive costs.

Not to mention it is an IFDA Preneed Trust Funeral Home and NPS (national prearranged services) funeral home. Two Preneed Scandals that have rocked Illinois and the USA! Beware national prearranged services and the Illinois Funeral Directors Association

Flash always takes your funeral cost cash!

More information on lowering the average funeral cost can be found here:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak. #1 International Best Selling Author Jason Oman also gave thumbs up to this book. This book is published by Morgan James Publishing.

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois

The “Google Books Search” give a look inside the book.

http://books.google.com/books?q=r+brian+burkhardt&btnG=Search+Books

Green Funerals are lowering Funeral Cost. As we move Forward into the 21st Century Green Funerals are growing and low funeral cost is on the rise.

From England, to Maine, to the Carolinas, Florida and Washington State to Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Here is the story from New Zealand.

“A green funeral is a way of reducing one’s carbon footprint — from the choice of casket to the way loved one’s dispose of remains.”

As the article points out Green means lower funeral cost.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaruherald/4604146a6571.html

If you want a list of the green cemeteries in the United States description, and it all here

http://www.thegreenfuneralsite.com/GreenCemeteries.html

Some information on biodegradable caskets can be found at CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/12/27/green.coffins.ap/index.html

More information on Lowering the average cost of a funeral can be found here:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak. #1 International Best Selling Author also gave thumbs up to this book. This book is published by Morgan James Publishing.

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois, Funeral advocate

The “Google Books Search” give a look inside the book.

http://books.google.com/books?q=r+brian+burkhardt&btnG=Search+Books

Yes there can be high funeral cost even at Disney World. Death at Disney can happen. As I have often said the highest funeral cost is the death of the person involved. Yes death is one of Disney Secrets.

There have been deaths on Disney Theme Park rides. Jeffrey Reeb,in 2008 was the latest Disney World Death. Roller Coasters are especially risky even in expensive theme parks. Some of the story is here.

http://www.floridachildinjurylawyer.com/2008/03/disney_theme_park_rides_can_be.html

More information and funeral stories can be found here:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak. #1 International Best Selling Author also gave thumbs up to this book. This book is published by Morgan James Publishing.

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois

The “Google Books Search” give a look inside the book.

http://books.google.com/books?q=r+brian+burkhardt&btnG=Search+Books

Here is a model Low Cost Funeral Website.

Another Funeral Website is being admired around the country as model Funeral Website. This is not the website I am going to refer to you. Instead I am going to refer you to a Low Funeral Cost Website. It comes from Barton Family Funeral Service in Kirkland, Washington.

Here is a quote:from the website:

“Our fees for everything from a full traditional funeral, to a simple direct cremation, or to an assisted home funeral are substantially lower than the charges of large corporate funeral companies because we have eliminated the massive expense of maintaining ostentatious buildings, grounds, gardens, and fleets of vehicles. Instead, funerals are held in churches, homes, or other suitable facilities depending on the size of the funeral and the desires of the family. Often a graveside service is preferred, and occasionally no ceremony at all is appropriate. We can help you with your own home funeral or suggest a meaningful alternative funeral process. Our services are adapted to the exact needs of each family.

Summarizing

1Simple Direct Cremation.

2Other facilities.

3Home funeral.

4Graveside Service only available

5.Family Needs first.

Lots of quality information.

http://www.bartonfuneral.com/

Now check out the traditional higher cost funeral website.

1.Talking Blonde Funeral Director

2. Audio

3. Click now(an internet marketing trick)

4. No alternatives mentioned.

5. Focus not on individual situation.

Now click on the Link and see what I am talking about.

http://www.trimblefuneralhomes.com/

More information can be found here on low cost funerals.

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak. #1 International Best Selling Author also gave thumbs up to this book. This book is published by Morgan James Publishing.

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois

The “Google Books Search” give a look inside the book.

http://books.google.com/books?q=r+brian+burkhardt&btnG=Search+Books

It as apparent that as the economy is sliding...that low cost funeral is arising. This is indicated with the rise of Low Funeral Cost Cremation. A Casket and a traditional funeral often do not help a family in hard times We see the rise not just of low cost funerals but low cost cremations go strong as well.

This video from El Paso, Texas is informative.

http://medianewsgroup.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/medianewsgroup-tnmnp-elpaso-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=timesmedia&maven_referralObject=e9184947-d40f-4ae8-99f9-17861b424b8f

If you prefer to read an article here is one.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_9712934

More information on Lower Cost Cremations can be found here:

There are Four benefits of a low cost cremation funeral.

1. A lower burial cost option.

2. A no burial cost option

3 A Scattering of Ashes at a later date.

4. A burial of ashes at a later dare.

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak. #1 International Best Selling Author also gave thumbs up to this book. This book is published by Morgan James Publishing.

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois

The “Google Books Search” give a look inside the book.

http://books.google.com/books?q=r+brian+burkhardt&btnG=Search+Books

I have to admit that google is giving a good look at the Funeral Cost book “Rest in Peace Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral.” Now truly “Rest in Peace” is a zingwacker idea for a book. Here you can click on Rest in Peace in Google Books.

Recently someone reviewed this book at amazon and called it a New “ The American Way of Death ” This is a high compliment. The American Way of Death was a book by Jessica Mitford that changed th Funeral Industry as well as funeral cost forever. It is referred to by Funeral Directors and scholars alike. The later edition is “The American Way of Death Revisted.” Rest in Peace is a simple course in Funeral planning 101 and reducing funeral costs.

You can check out the Amazon review on funeral cost here:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak. #1 International Best Selling Author also gave thumbs up to this book. This book is published by Morgan James Publishing.

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois

The “Google Books Search” give a look inside the book.

http://books.google.com/books?q=r+brian+burkhardt&btnG=Search+Books

Your Funeral Guy:Funeral Cost too High in the USA!(last 2 weeks). Funerals always cost too much in any situation because a person is involved. But the death of these folks is too much funeral cost to the  world. May they all rest in peace. All three.

First there was the Tim Russert  Wake and Memorial Service:
The funeral cost to the nation was too great.
Maria Shriver read the poem….The Little Ship in Washington DC. Bruce Springsteen was front and center.
It would be wrong not to repeat it. It is one of the best funeral poems ever written.

The Wife of the Actor and  California governor “Arnold” gave a great funeral poem.

“The Little Ship”

I stood watching as the little ship sailed out to sea. The setting sun tinted his white sails with a golden light, and as he disappeared from sight a voice at my side whispered, “He is gone”.

“But the sea was a narrow one. On the farther shore a little band of friends had gathered to watch and wait in happy expectation. Suddenly they caught sight of the tiny sail and, at the very moment when my companion had whispered, “He is gone” a glad shout went up in joyous welcome, “Here he comes!”

A Good post on this is here:
http://www.tellinitlikeitis.net/2008/06/maria-shriver-poem-at-tim-russerts-funeral-service.html

Then there was the  funeral song “over the rainbow”. People walked out of his memorial service to this Rainbow. Was this a blessing from the man upstairs(apologies to atheists if this does not make you a believer nothing will)

If you do not cry during this Video! You are not human. Barack Obama and John McCain sat together at this event. If you ever click on a Your Funeral Guy, funeral cost link click on this one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBddo1RGiJU

Then there was the Tasha Tudor death: The great literary illustrator original  green lady died.
Kids will miss her. Even guys read “The Secret Garden.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/22/AR2008062202026.html”

As if this was not enough we also lost to funeral cost, George Carlin the modern Free Speech almost pornographic comedian. The famous 7 words guy.

Even Jerry Seinfeld is coming back to honor him.

In the 2 weeks Funeral Cost has been too high in the USA!
May all Rest in Peace.
Now there is more funeral story and history in Rest in Peace.

The Funeral Cost of a Funeral Director is about 20 to 26 USD a hour in 2008. It is a large factor in the average cost of a funeral.

The funeral home owner cost is much more. If you use the traditional funeral home engage the funeral owner’s (or manager )services—- you certainly are paying for the service. Here are two of the Tricks funeral home owners employ is to raise funeral cost.

1. use apprentices to lower their cost

demand a licensed person!

2. limit the time that funeral directors spend with you without lowering your cost.

take as much time as you need!

A simple tip to lower funeral cost is to ask for a green funeral, green burial and information on the average cost of a funeral. Remember it is best to be your own funeral advocate.

More information on what is involved with a funeral and Average Funeral Cost here in two books.

Two books have contributed to the Funeral cost reduction situation.

Mark Harris’s “Grave Matters”:

And “Rest in Peace” by R. Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak.