10 tips for a cheap funeral.

The Federal Trade Commission requires every funeral home to give you a written General Price List (GPL) on request — in person or by phone. Prices for the exact same services vary by $1,000 to $5,000 between homes in the same town. Calling three homes takes thirty minutes and is, dollar for dollar, the highest-leverage move in this entire list.

What to compare line by line: basic services fee, embalming, transportation, casket markup, facility rental, and any package pricing. Bring the GPLs to the home you choose — sometimes they will price-match.

If cremation is the right path for your family, direct cremation (no service before, no casket, no viewing) is the cheapest version. Standalone cremation providers like Tulip, Solace, Smart Cremation, and Cremation Society of America offer direct cremation for $750 to $2,500. Hold the memorial separately, somewhere meaningful, on your own schedule. Many families find this is more personal, not less.

Full guide: the cost of cremation.

Casket markup at funeral homes runs 200–500% over wholesale. The same 18-gauge steel casket the home sells for $4,000 is $1,200 at Costco. Federal law (FTC Funeral Rule) forbids the funeral home from refusing your outside casket or charging a handling fee.

Full guide: how to buy a casket online.

Embalming is rarely required by law — only by funeral home preference. Direct cremation, immediate burial, and burials within a few days do not need it. Federal law specifically requires the funeral home to disclose that embalming is not required, and to obtain your written consent before performing it. Saying no saves $500 to $1,200.

Funeral homes charge $500 to $1,500 for the use of their chapel or service room. A community center, a church, a beloved restaurant, a backyard — all free or near-free, and almost always more meaningful. The funeral home will still handle the body, the paperwork, and the cremation or burial; the memorial doesn’t have to happen there.

Cemeteries often require a basic concrete grave liner ($500–$1,200) to keep the ground from settling. They do not require an upgraded burial vault ($1,500–$5,000). Vaults marketed as “protective” do not actually prevent decay; the FTC has specifically forbidden funeral homes from claiming otherwise. The basic liner does the job.

Hermetic gaskets, eternal seals, rubber gaskets, all marketed as keeping moisture out. None prevent decay. The FTC has explicitly required funeral homes to refrain from claiming that any casket feature preserves remains. Skip the upgrade and save $300 to $1,000.

Newspaper obituaries (especially metro dailies) charge $300 to $800 for a paid death notice. Free or low-cost alternatives: the funeral home’s own website (almost always free), Legacy.com, your local Patch site, social media, and small-town weekly papers (often free or under $50). Reach the same people for a fraction of the cost.

The funeral home returns ashes in a basic plastic temporary urn that’s perfectly serviceable. The decorative urn they offer for $200–$2,000 is online for $40–$300 from Amazon, Etsy, or specialty sites like InTheLightUrns or Memorials.com. Federal law forbids the funeral home from refusing an urn you bring.

Real money is left on the table by families who don’t know about it or are too tired to apply. Each of these is real, federal or state, and worth claiming.

• Social Security $255 lump sum— surviving spouse or dependent.
• VA burial allowance($300–$2,000) — for veterans.
• Free burial in a national cemetery— veterans and qualifying spouses.
• State or county indigent burial program— varies.
• Existing life insurance— check the deceased’s files, employer benefits, and credit-card perks.

None of these cancels the others. Apply for everything you may qualify for.