What are good funeral homes when it come to costs?

These are good questions that many people ask at some time. Any place that sells caskets has varied prices, whether it's a funeral home, a wholesale company, an internet company, or a retail store. The least expensive caskets are usually a 20-gauge steel casket without a gasket to help seal it, a wooden casket that is not solid wood, such as a veneer, or what is known as a cloth-covered casket. If you happen to check for a casket on the internet, get the type and price of the casket you would like, and mention it to the funeral homes you call. Many times your local funeral director will match the price or come close to it. Also be sure to ask about cremation caskets. These are often priced lower because their manufacturing process is different, but some are also suitable for burial.

You said your town has only one funeral home and that's not unusual for many areas. There are usually others in surrounding towns. It would be helpful for you to call your local funeral home and ask for prices on the type of services you want to have. Then call a few other funeral homes in surrounding towns and compare. This Caring. com website has a directory of funeral homes. All you have to do is put Castle Rock, Colorado in the search box or you can click here and the list will come up.

If you're concerned about cost, you can consider various types of services that involve fewer charges, such as having visiting hours an hour or so prior to the service instead of on a separate day, or having a service at the graveside.

Since you are one of the brave people who served our country, there is another way you can save some money. You and your wife can be buried in a veterans cemetery. There are two in your area, with the closest one being Fort Logan National Cemetery. The graves, burial vaults, and costs for opening and closing the graves are free of charge. Military honors are also performed right there at the cemetery. You mentioned that you already have graves in Cedar Hills. If you'd rather be buried in the veterans cemetery, you can sell your graves at Cedar Hills. A staff member there said that their policy is that they will buy back your graves at the price you paid for them, but will not allow you to sell them to someone other than your family members. Of course military honors can still be performed at your graveside even if you aren't buried in the veterans cemetery.

Veterans benefits include those mentioned above "“ a grave, burial vault, grave opening/closing costs, flag, grave marker and military honors "“ if you are buried in a veterans cemetery. If you are buried at Cedar Hills, you are entitled to a flag, grave marker, and military honors. Your wife will only receive a free grave, vault, and grave opening/closing costs if she is buried next to you in a veterans cemetery. Otherwise, there are no benefits for her at her death.

If your death occurs in a veterans hospital or a veterans nursing home or other veterans facility, you may be entitled to other monetary help with funeral home costs. These are expenses such as transportation from the place of death to the funeral home and transportation costs to the cemetery, with some mileage limits. These costs may also be paid if you die outside of a veterans facility but die from complications related to a service-related injury or illness. A good funeral director will apply for these benefits on your wife's behalf at the time of need.

You're wise to think about these issues ahead of time. Getting information and checking with a few different funeral homes in your town and surrounding area should help you get what you need to make decisions about services that will be appropriately meaningful for you and your family.