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4 Ways to Get Help Paying for Funeral Home and Cremation Expenses

September 24, 2018

These days, the average funeral cost is from $7,000 to $10,000. Even a simple cremation with no service can cost around $1,100. Its no wonder people worry about how they will pay for their funeral home or cremation services in Princeton, NJ. 

While there aren’t many ways to change how much funerals and cremations cost, you can use the following 4 ways to get help paying for services for a recently deceased loved one.  

PrePlanning

Check the deceased’s papers and information to see if they made any plans to help pay for their funeral. They might have put in place things such as:  

Prepaying programs 

Funeral insurance 

Life insurance  

Payable-on-death bank account  

Any of the above can help cover the funeral costs.  

Fund Raising

Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your community, neighborhood, friends or other family. You’d be surprised how quickly people will chip in. Get creative with fund raising like:  

Car washes or bake sales 

Church groups or donations  

Memorial funds at the deceased’s workplace or bank 

Crowd funding websites like GoFundMe.com or GiveForward.com 

Social media is also a great tool to make your need known. 

Government Assistance

Local, state and even federal government programs can help pay for funerals. Check with your local social service, county treasurer, or public fiduciary to see if any systems are in place. These programs have varying requirements, especially since local government budgets are tight and they are making such programs more difficult to qualify for. Be sure to double check that you are eligible.  

The Social Security Administration can also provide assistance. Call to report a death and you may be eligible for a lump sum of $225 or other survivor benefits. Other federal programs that can help include:  

  • Medicare 
  • Medicaid 
  • The Bureau of Indian Affairs 
  • The Railroad Retirement Board 
  • Veteran’s Administration  
Low Cost Options

If you still can’t get enough funding, there are tons of low-cost funeral and cremation options you can choose. These include:  

  • Memorial service at home or a community center 
  • Pot-luck food for the service  
  • Service at a church or other religious establishment  
  • Body donation to a medical school or other organization (Science Care is the world’s largest body donor program) 
  • Direct cremation 
  • Burial on family or private property  

Paying for a funeral or cremation is hard, and there is no shame in asking for help. Use any of the above ideas to get help paying for the funeral or cremation for your lost loved one, or get creative with more ideas of your own.  

If you need more information on paying for services, Plinton Curry Funeral Home can help. We offer Princeton, NJ funeral home and cremation services and pride ourselves on our customer compassion and attention. Stop by our business at 411 W Broad St Westfield, NJ 07090, or give us a call at (908) 232-6869 to learn more. 

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