It Might Seem Morbid But….
Posted on: November 12, 2008 by Matt
This morning I read a post over at Harvesting Dollars about prepaying for burial that I just can not get out of my head. In his post Todd notes that his in-laws have prepaid for a cremation and that his initial reaction was “this is probably a bad idea” but he invites readers to drop their opinion. Todd also notes that he has heard that prepaying for burial plots and funeral services is a bad idea but that he does not actually know if it is true.
While I have no experience with prepaid funeral expenses the post is stuck in my mind as I have lost people close to me unexpectedly. The death of a loved one may never occur completely expected and even when you have had time to brace for it there will still be a period of grieving. Therefore my thought on prepaying for funeral services in general would be to find a reputable service and get the planning done.
The example that comes to mind most readily for me was the death of my mother. She died when she was 44 and did not have any funeral planning in place. I suppose most people probably would not consider having arrangements made while still in the prime of their life and facing your mortality while still young – really morbid. I am unsure what if any planning she had in place as I had just turned 18 and was not privy to a number of conversations.
I do remember a number of discussions about where and how she would be buried. Her family (I think that’s how it worked out) wanted her buried in the town she grew up and spent most of her life in (not far from where I was born and raised, one town over) but the cemetery was “sold out”. Eventually her mother and step-father offered up their plots in the cemetery for her burial. A very selfless and admirable act that I now appreciate deeply. In addition there were several other issues that came up during the process that were stressful for everyone involved that could have been circumvented with advanced planning.
Right now I am only 29 years old and have not done any of the planning I mention in this post; no will, no burial or funeral plans, etc. However, I do believe that it is not too early to start - not for my own peace of mind but for those that I love and care about. So far the most I have done is had the difficult discussion with my girlfriend in the even that something should happen we each know what the other wants. After reading the post on Harvesting Dollars and writing / thinking a bit about my own experiences I will probably look into getting a will together for any horrible unexpected events.
Great post. Trying to take care of things for your family is honorable and admirable.
Thanks Todd! Looks like you are still a bit morbid today with your most recent post.