Cutting the cost of dying: Tips from funeral experts

Some bereaved relatives "live on toast" to save money for funeral costs, Quaker Social Action says

Funeral costs can be a "crushing anxiety" for families coping with bereavement, according to the charity Quaker Social Action.

After two years of falls, the average cost of a basic funeral in the UK has risen to £4,141, SunLife has reported.

The cheapest option, a direct cremation with no funeral service or attendees, cost £1,498 in 2023, the insurer's Cost of Dying report said.

We asked funeral experts for their tips on paying for end-of-life ceremonies.

Direct cremation

Dorset funeral director Steven Tapper says unattended cremations are rising in popularity

Direct cremations are a good option for families who prefer to focus on the memorial service rather than having a funeral ceremony, according to Poole-based funeral services firm Tapper & Son.

Director Steven Tapper says: "People don't have to have a funeral. The unattended cremation has been on the increase in recent years.

"That's considerably less expensive and people are then at liberty to have services of their own description, a memorial service with family and friends at any location they want.

"There's no need to have a hearse, a limousine and bearers [to carry the coffin] if they don't want to have it. That could save £700 to £800."

Direct cremations have risen from 3% of funerals in 2019 to 20% in 2023, SunLife reported in January.

Prepaid plans

A prepaid funeral plan guarantees the costs, Steve Wallis from Distinct Cremations says

Budgeting in advance can help to control funeral costs, according to Steve Wallis from Distinct Cremations, which operates nationwide.

He advises: "Consider a prepaid funeral plan. You can actually take that out in advance [and] you can guarantee the costs for the service at today's price.

"Make sure that you compare prices and look at pricing online.

"You don't need to spend more than you need to and a lot of families feel a pressure to do the right thing and end up spending more than they need to."

Public health funerals

Lindesay Mace from Quaker Social Action says the delivery of public health funerals can be a postcode lottery

A public health funeral - sometimes known as a "pauper's funeral" - is arranged by the local council where relatives are unable or unwilling to pay.

However, Lindesay Mace from Quaker Social Action's funeral poverty project, says the delivery of them can vary.

"In some areas, people aren't allowed to attend and aren't even allowed to get the ashes back in the case of cremation," she says.

"Obviously both of those things can be very distressing when there are family and friends who would like to attend."

Ms Mace says she has heard of relatives "having to survive on toast because they're desperately trying to scrape together a funeral deposit or having crushing anxiety or waking up sweating because of the sheer worry of how they're going to pay for a family member's funeral".

The charity's Down to Earth project offers advice on funeral costs.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].