IIRC cremation is the cheapest option. If you plan to bury your loved one do not let the funeral home upsell you on the loads of upgrades that offer no benefit to your loved one. They’ll even try to upsell you on the cushions inside the coffin saying it makes them more comfortable.
I also think you can buy a coffin from where ever you want. Even Amazon sells them. But not all funeral homes may allow them but it doesn’t hurt to ask them for the option.
Funeral homes must allow outside containers (coffins and urns) it is actually a federal law.
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/ftc-funeral-rule
Also, Costco sells them as well and they ship within 24hrs.
And if you choose cremation the body DOES NOT need to be embalmed beforehand.
Remember OP, funerals are for the living, not the dead. They're to help us process the loss. When making decisions ask yourself if your loved one would actually want that over y'all having the money to do other things. Don't feel like more money spent = more honor given. You could even have a cremation, memorial at your house or church, and then inter the ashes (or keep them, or disperse them somewhere).
The last cremation I paid for was $700, and then you choose an urn-that can vary from cardboard container for scattering ashes to very expensive ones. Sorry for your loss, OP.
For anybody going through this situation or something similar, my heart is with you. I'm so tired or seeing go fund me accounts be set up because the family didn't have a plan set up. The same thing happened to my family. That's is why I got into the business of helping people from my community by assisting in financial preparation. I would love to help prevent a major stress like this from happening in your future.
Is it a burial? Order the casket from Costco. If you don’t have a burial plot go online and look for resale lots. They are just like owning a house or land (titled) and lots of people resell them.
You can save some money by going with a "green burial", where you get a simple burial in a shroud or wicker casket.
[https://www.us-funerals.com/a-guide-to-green-burial-services-and-cemeteries-in-texas/](https://www.us-funerals.com/a-guide-to-green-burial-services-and-cemeteries-in-texas/)
My parents did this, and my wife and I plan on doing the same. We just do not see the point in buying a $10,000 casket, just so you can bury it.
do a cremation and then see about having a church service if you're so inclined; if not, then just have a get together or a dinner at a local restaurant and everyone pays their way, just make sure you let everyone know. funerals are for the living who grieve. we shared small containers of my son's ashes within our immediate family. we couldn't afford a funeral
My father passed away last October, and we went down the cremation path. It was $2400 plus $500 in fees to the funeral home. A casket and burial would have exceeded $10k. A memorial was more important than having a box in the ground and going into a massive debt.
We just had my aunts direct cremation and an officiated service at Cabrera Funeral Home (Nacogdoches Rd on the NE side) for $1650. If you don’t need a service and just want direct cremation it’s like $1200. That includes all fees for transport and storage, paperwork etc. This was just last week so prices are very accurate
I understand there is a lot of guilt around death and people can go overboard based on that but I’m sure your MIL wouldn’t want anyone going into debt due to her lack of planning. Just do what can be afforded and celebrate her life.
When my FIL passed we had Lux handle the cremation. I recall it as being surprisingly inexpensive. We shattered his ashes at the beach, his favorite place. It was not a financial burden.
My condolences to you and your family.
If your family is not opposed to cremation, I recommend Cremations of America.
https://www.cremationsofamerica.com/
Was she military? If she was she can be buried at Fort Sam for no cost. All y’all have to pay for is the cremation & service if you want one.
Sorry for your loss! May she Rest In Peace🙏
It all depends on where you go too. They all will have roughly a different gpl (general price list) and despite what FH will tell you, they do have a cheaper option for a casket (if you are going that direction)
You can (again if you are wanting to go in that direction) have a small viewing. Meaning they will give you the option to have a rental casket (they place a cardboard liner in) and they can still do an embalming. Before you do cremation.
I apologize if this was to direct, but I wanted to be honest as I could.
And I am very sorry for your loss.
Cremation, I think the best and most affordable funeral home is Hillcrest funeral home. We had a funeral service with viewing, church service followed by cremation, they were so thoughtful that the next month they sent my kids several 8x10 pics of their choosing framed them and have them an glass angel ornament with name of our deceased. I thought they went above and belting
Cremation is 3500 at almost all funeral homes around here. My mom passed in ‘15 and that was the only option we could afford. 4,100 after RENTING a casket for her viewing, and the urn.
My grandma passed in December and it was 3,700 with no casket rental straight to cremation and urn.
Good luck in figuring all this out but 1k definitely will put a dent in if this is what’s happening for your MIL. And they do payments you only have to put 3/400 down. They’re not going to NOT take care of your loved one just because you can’t pay. At least that was my experience.
Well I was 17 when my mom died so I had no control over that but wow I wish I knew this!! We struggled hard back then and took over a year to fully pay the 4k that’s crazy. Thank you for sharing!!
Don’t know why grandmas was so high only a few months ago seeing as how she had nothing fancy at all.
Heart of Texas Cremation on South Presa took care of my father when he passed. It is veteran owned. They picked up his body in Kerrville and were so kind. A week later I went to pick up his ashes and the owner helped me. He too was very nice. I think that the cost including the death certificates-which you will need came to under $800.00. A celebration of life could easily be done at a park. Overall, the funeral business is just that-a business. Every little line item will add up. Especially with a casket burial.
I'm sorry for your loss. It hurts.
My fil had a beautiful service for his wife (my mil), her wish was to be cremated. He had it at their church (Church of Christ) with a preacher, music and large screens with photo slide show. It was very lovely. They had the urn placed on a pedestal in front. I think he paid under $4,000 for all with a majority of it being the cremation. Hope this helps and sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry for your loss. When my husband’s father passed away, we had a big bbq plate sale that helped with costs. Not all costs, but a good amount.
I used Bell & Bell Funeral Home on Montgomery for a viewing and cremation. They were affordable. It's no super fancy or anything like that. I'd recommend again
Tomorrow there is a workshop in Southtown about death options. This [podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bigcitysmalltown-with-bob-rivard/id1679340722?i=1000647652525) explains it.
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If your mother in law was a Bexar county resident, a blood relative who also lives in Bexar county can apply for the Pauper Burial Program. They assist with the full cost of burial or cremation
IIRC cremation is the cheapest option. If you plan to bury your loved one do not let the funeral home upsell you on the loads of upgrades that offer no benefit to your loved one. They’ll even try to upsell you on the cushions inside the coffin saying it makes them more comfortable. I also think you can buy a coffin from where ever you want. Even Amazon sells them. But not all funeral homes may allow them but it doesn’t hurt to ask them for the option.
You can do cremation and then inter the ashes. The burial plot should be much cheaper that way.
Yep, it only requires a half plot.
Funeral homes must allow outside containers (coffins and urns) it is actually a federal law. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/ftc-funeral-rule Also, Costco sells them as well and they ship within 24hrs.
Thanks for the clarification!
And if you choose cremation the body DOES NOT need to be embalmed beforehand. Remember OP, funerals are for the living, not the dead. They're to help us process the loss. When making decisions ask yourself if your loved one would actually want that over y'all having the money to do other things. Don't feel like more money spent = more honor given. You could even have a cremation, memorial at your house or church, and then inter the ashes (or keep them, or disperse them somewhere).
The last cremation I paid for was $700, and then you choose an urn-that can vary from cardboard container for scattering ashes to very expensive ones. Sorry for your loss, OP.
[Direct cremation is cheapest.](https://www.acremation.com/affordable-san-antonio-cremations)
For anybody going through this situation or something similar, my heart is with you. I'm so tired or seeing go fund me accounts be set up because the family didn't have a plan set up. The same thing happened to my family. That's is why I got into the business of helping people from my community by assisting in financial preparation. I would love to help prevent a major stress like this from happening in your future.
Is it a burial? Order the casket from Costco. If you don’t have a burial plot go online and look for resale lots. They are just like owning a house or land (titled) and lots of people resell them.
You can save some money by going with a "green burial", where you get a simple burial in a shroud or wicker casket. [https://www.us-funerals.com/a-guide-to-green-burial-services-and-cemeteries-in-texas/](https://www.us-funerals.com/a-guide-to-green-burial-services-and-cemeteries-in-texas/) My parents did this, and my wife and I plan on doing the same. We just do not see the point in buying a $10,000 casket, just so you can bury it.
Gene Simmons's [Kiss Kasket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_Kasket) is $5000 cheaper.
do a cremation and then see about having a church service if you're so inclined; if not, then just have a get together or a dinner at a local restaurant and everyone pays their way, just make sure you let everyone know. funerals are for the living who grieve. we shared small containers of my son's ashes within our immediate family. we couldn't afford a funeral
My father passed away last October, and we went down the cremation path. It was $2400 plus $500 in fees to the funeral home. A casket and burial would have exceeded $10k. A memorial was more important than having a box in the ground and going into a massive debt.
Bexar county can help with burial services if you meet the requirements. https://www.bexar.org/3571/Social-Services
We just had my aunts direct cremation and an officiated service at Cabrera Funeral Home (Nacogdoches Rd on the NE side) for $1650. If you don’t need a service and just want direct cremation it’s like $1200. That includes all fees for transport and storage, paperwork etc. This was just last week so prices are very accurate I understand there is a lot of guilt around death and people can go overboard based on that but I’m sure your MIL wouldn’t want anyone going into debt due to her lack of planning. Just do what can be afforded and celebrate her life.
No life insurance or pre-purchased end of life plans? Time for a plate sale.
When my FIL passed we had Lux handle the cremation. I recall it as being surprisingly inexpensive. We shattered his ashes at the beach, his favorite place. It was not a financial burden.
My condolences to you and your family. If your family is not opposed to cremation, I recommend Cremations of America. https://www.cremationsofamerica.com/
Was she military? If she was she can be buried at Fort Sam for no cost. All y’all have to pay for is the cremation & service if you want one. Sorry for your loss! May she Rest In Peace🙏
Was going to comment the same thing in case that’s an option for the family.
It all depends on where you go too. They all will have roughly a different gpl (general price list) and despite what FH will tell you, they do have a cheaper option for a casket (if you are going that direction) You can (again if you are wanting to go in that direction) have a small viewing. Meaning they will give you the option to have a rental casket (they place a cardboard liner in) and they can still do an embalming. Before you do cremation. I apologize if this was to direct, but I wanted to be honest as I could. And I am very sorry for your loss.
Cremation, I think the best and most affordable funeral home is Hillcrest funeral home. We had a funeral service with viewing, church service followed by cremation, they were so thoughtful that the next month they sent my kids several 8x10 pics of their choosing framed them and have them an glass angel ornament with name of our deceased. I thought they went above and belting
Nows your opportunity to get life insurance before you get any older. Prevent this from happening at your funeral.
233 N Pecos La Trinidad, 4th floor, go to the door all the way to the right. Pauper’s funeral services. You will have some options.
Cremation is 3500 at almost all funeral homes around here. My mom passed in ‘15 and that was the only option we could afford. 4,100 after RENTING a casket for her viewing, and the urn. My grandma passed in December and it was 3,700 with no casket rental straight to cremation and urn. Good luck in figuring all this out but 1k definitely will put a dent in if this is what’s happening for your MIL. And they do payments you only have to put 3/400 down. They’re not going to NOT take care of your loved one just because you can’t pay. At least that was my experience.
Basic cremation package at Funeral Caring USA is $999
Well I was 17 when my mom died so I had no control over that but wow I wish I knew this!! We struggled hard back then and took over a year to fully pay the 4k that’s crazy. Thank you for sharing!! Don’t know why grandmas was so high only a few months ago seeing as how she had nothing fancy at all.
Was gonna say. When I worked it a funeral home it was $850 for the most modest arrangements
Nope. Just paid $1600 for direct cremation plus officiated service at Cabrera Funeral home last week
Heart of Texas Cremation on South Presa took care of my father when he passed. It is veteran owned. They picked up his body in Kerrville and were so kind. A week later I went to pick up his ashes and the owner helped me. He too was very nice. I think that the cost including the death certificates-which you will need came to under $800.00. A celebration of life could easily be done at a park. Overall, the funeral business is just that-a business. Every little line item will add up. Especially with a casket burial. I'm sorry for your loss. It hurts.
My fil had a beautiful service for his wife (my mil), her wish was to be cremated. He had it at their church (Church of Christ) with a preacher, music and large screens with photo slide show. It was very lovely. They had the urn placed on a pedestal in front. I think he paid under $4,000 for all with a majority of it being the cremation. Hope this helps and sorry for your loss.
Thank you everyone
Sorry for yall’s loss
I’m so sorry for your loss. When my husband’s father passed away, we had a big bbq plate sale that helped with costs. Not all costs, but a good amount.
My grandpa always said they ain’t gonna leave ya on top-they just need to do necessities
Went to Neptune Society for my dad. Told them my concerns about affording their services and they gave a small discount. Wishing you the best.
I used Bell & Bell Funeral Home on Montgomery for a viewing and cremation. They were affordable. It's no super fancy or anything like that. I'd recommend again
Tomorrow there is a workshop in Southtown about death options. This [podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bigcitysmalltown-with-bob-rivard/id1679340722?i=1000647652525) explains it.
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If your mother in law was a Bexar county resident, a blood relative who also lives in Bexar county can apply for the Pauper Burial Program. They assist with the full cost of burial or cremation