Most people avoid thinking about funerals, much less planning for them. This is an understandable response, since doing so forces us to confront one of several unpleasant realities. It makes us come to terms with our age, makes us believe we may be departing our families soon, or forces us to come to terms with the fact that we may lose a loved one soon. Nevertheless, the stakes are high, and you can’t afford to not preplan for this eventuality with Reading, PA funeral homes.
Failing to preplan may leave your family shortchanged at a time when stress is already elevated, to say the least. The last thing that you should want is for your family to be unprepared for a funeral, to be caught off guard by a death, and then not know what to do. It’s stressful to lose a loved one and have to plan a funeral, guessing at what they would have wanted. It can be even more stressful if the family doesn’t have the money lined up to pay for the services they want to include.
This is because traditional funerals have a myriad of different costs which add up to something far more substantial. These include the cost of the funeral service itself, amenities for attendees, embalming fees, a casket, a burial plot, a gravestone, and other associated expenses. Some or all of these expenses can be avoided through a cremation service, which is part of the reason why preplanning a funeral is so vital to avoid placing burdens on your family.
You need to know what you want out of a funeral and that takes thought in advance. No one likes thinking about their death and what they want to happen after it, but it’s a real gift you can give your family when your time comes. By preplanning, you’ll begin to figure out your financial and emotional needs. If saving money is your priority, you should look at the different cremation services available. If you and your family prefer a traditional ceremony, you should begin planning for the procedures involved. It’s also possible for you to have a traditional service and then a cremation instead of a burial.
After you and your family discuss your priorities for a funeral, such as the kind of service you want and how much you’re willing to spend, you can contact the funeral home of your choice and discuss how you can make concrete arrangements, giving your family some breathing room in the aftermath of a death. This will be done with the creation of a contract between you and the funeral home, which is sometimes called a preneed contract.
You should never agree to a preneed contract without a preliminary discussion with an experienced funeral director. Should you have any questions about Reading funeral homes, don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Bean of the Whelan Schwartz Funeral Home, Inc. Call us at (610) 374-0962 to set up a time to visit with us in person. You can come see our facilities at 444 N 9th St. Reading, PA 19601 to see if they suit your needs and to ask your questions.