The Funeral.com Journal
Resources to help you create tributes as unique as the people (and pets) you love. Learn how engraving, photos, colors, and symbols add meaning; discover scattering rituals and at-home memorial ideas. We focus on the details that matter—because small choices can carry a lifetime of comfort.
The Cheapest Funeral Options in 2025: Direct Cremation, Simple Burial, and Cost-Saving Tips
If you are trying to plan the cheapest funeral in 2025, the most helpful mindset shift is this: the lowest-cost options aren’t “less loving.” They are options that remove the...
How to Plan a Funeral in 2025: Costs, Trends, and Preplanning Options for Seniors
Funeral planning has always required quick decisions during an emotional week, but 2025 brings a few new realities: more families choose cremation, more people expect digital tools and transparency, and...
Casket vs Coffin Costs in 2025: Price Ranges, Materials, and Smart Ways to Save
If you are comparing prices and feeling whiplash, you are not imagining it. In 2025, families can see one burial container priced like a major home appliance and another priced...
Why Do Casket Prices Vary So Much? What You’re Really Paying For
If you are sitting with a price list and thinking, why do casket prices vary this much, you are not being dramatic. Casket pricing can feel like a different universe—especially...
Funeral Home Price Lists Explained: GPL, Cash Advances, and How to Compare Quotes (FTC Funeral Rule
Most families don’t feel “sticker shock” because they expect funerals to be free. They feel it because the price list shows up in the middle of grief, written in a...
Cheapest Way to Be Cremated: Direct Cremation, Assistance Programs, and Cost-Saving Tips
When someone dies, families often find themselves doing math through tears. The questions can feel blunt: What can we afford? What has to happen right away? What can wait? If...
Cremation Cost vs Burial: Average Prices, Hidden Fees & Green Options
When families compare cremation cost vs burial, they’re rarely comparing just two price tags. They’re comparing timelines, family traditions, the feeling of a graveside visit versus the comfort of keeping ashes...
How Much Do Cremation Urns Cost? Typical Prices + Ways to Save
The question often arrives quietly. You might be sitting at the kitchen table with a folder of paperwork, or scrolling on your phone after everyone else has gone to bed....
Green Burial vs Cremation: Eco-Friendly Options Including Natural Burial and Human Composting
Most families don’t come to this choice as “environmental shoppers.” They come as people who are grieving, or planning ahead with love. When you compare green burial vs cremation, you’re really...
How Much Does Cremation Cost in the U.S.? Average Prices, Common Fees, and Ways to Save (2025 Guide)
If you’re pricing cremation after a death or trying to plan ahead, you’ll notice something right away. The numbers are rarely simple. Two families in the same city can receive...
At-Home Memorial Ideas: 40 Meaningful Ways to Honor a Loved One (DIY + Low-Cost)
When someone dies, the first decisions can feel strangely practical for how personal the moment is. You are grieving, and at the same time you are answering questions about timing,...
Low-Cost and Free Cremation Options in 2025: Direct Cremation, Body Donation, and Budget Tips
When a death happens—or when you’re trying to plan ahead with a clear head—money questions can feel painfully out of place. You want to do right by someone you love....
How to Preplan a Funeral: Checklist, Costs, and What to Watch for With Prepaid Plans
Most people don’t begin funeral planning because they enjoy paperwork. They begin because they’ve seen what happens when a family has to make financial and emotional decisions quickly, under pressure,...
What Is a Rental Casket? How It Works for Viewings Before Cremation
When a family chooses cremation, the next question often arrives quickly and quietly: “Can we still have a viewing?” For many people, seeing the person’s face one last time, hearing...