When I'm dead, I really hope my family/friends don't spend a lot of money on disposing of my body. Any advice on how to actually plan your funeral so as to avoid caused loved ones any stress? I don't really care if my body is cremated or buried or just left in the woods for wolves to eat (well I do mind that as I would like to donate any working organs).
I'm in IT, and one of my clients is a mortuary / funeral home combo that also does scientific research.
- A straight cremation is about $1000, from body pickup to return of urn with ashes. This does not include county fees, death certificate, etc, you'd be about $1500 all in for a bare-bones, no casket cremation (you can rent a casket for a viewing, if anyone cares, but then there are dressing / prep fees. No viewing - as in, body is picked up at the deceased's home and ashes returned - is the cheapest way to go)
- If you donate your body, they will waive the fee. The body is usually kept for about a month before cremation, and organs are usually used for research. As the research companies pay for this, it covers the cost of he cremation, making it free.
- If you donate your body to a hospital, etc, you better have an agreement with them to have them pick it up. Normally the "donated" organs are harvested from accident victims / etc - people that die in accidents. It's rarely for deaths of natural causes, so it's up to you to arrange that with your hospital before your death. Keep in mind that things like eye tissue can only be used about 36 hrs after death.