How To Find A Casket For Your Funeral At An Affordable Cost

Your plan for a traditional funeral service will involve a lot of decisions to make, and one of those decisions is the type of casket that you want to be placed in. While there are several facets that make up overall funeral costs, the casket can easily be one of the largest expenses. Basic caskets made out of metal and fiberboard will usually run about $2,000, but some of the luxury caskets can be as high as $10,000. If you are trying to keep your overall funeral costs as low as possible, there are a few things you can do to spend less on a casket. 

Buy a casket directly from the manufacturer. 

Funeral homes do offer booklets to help you buy a casket, but most funeral homes purchase these units from a third party. Therefore, you may see a slight markup in the price if you are not shopping with the manufacturer of a casket. In the digital age, it is a lot easier to track down casket manufacturers; you may even find a local craftsman who builds wooden caskets for private customers. 

Consider casket material options carefully. 

The materials used to craft the casket will naturally make the piece more expensive. For instance, a casket made out of mahogany or oak is going to be more costly. Likewise, velvet lining can be more expensive than nylon. Carefully consider the options you like and determine which ones are important enough to pay more for. 

Forego the fancier elements for a more basic design. 

Caskets can get expensive because of all of the features that many of them have. For example, you can find caskets that have embroidered details in the silk lining on the underside of the lid and brass hardware. These small elements may make for a fancier final resting container, but they will also drive the price up a little higher than what you may want to pay. 

Look for discount caskets online. 

It may seem a little grim to pick up a casket that you will hang onto until it is actually needed, but this is actually becoming an increasingly common thing. You can sometimes find discount caskets online. Some people buy caskets that they plan to use for their own funerals later and then change their minds and sell them. You may even be able to find caskets with slight imperfections for a discounted price.