A cheery start to the day

What a start to the day! As so often I put the radio on as I woke up. Sometimes I drift off back to sleep. I think I probably did do just that for a time. But then I found myself listening more attentively to the programme.

So what was the subject of the discussion? The cost of funerals. Not really the subject I would have thought anyone would want to wake up to. I supposed it has a religious significance so regarded as a topic to be covered in a Sunday morning religious programme. But even so it's not exactly something you would want to wake up to.

I have to confess I found myself thinking of the funerals I've helped to arrange. The first time I was shocked by the sheer price. They reckon these days the minimum you will have to pay is £2500. Most funerals cost nearer £3000. That's a lot of money.

As the programme went on to comment, this comes at a time when you are suffering from the shock of the loss of a loved one. We certainly didn't shop around to find the cheapest price. We went to the first place we could find, especially since, so far, the only funerals we have had to arrange have been in Manchester, miles away from where we live. Even locally my choice of funeral directors would probably be decided by repute, or just whoever I could find.

In the cases we have dealt with the estate left more than covered the cost of the funeral, but it would have been worrying indeed if there were no savings for the purpose. For myself, I don't care what is done with my body when the time comes. As far as I'm concerned I don't expect to be there to be bothered. But the people we were arranging for I think would have liked a decent burial, in a presentable coffin, with a gravestone on their graves to mark their having lived.

I was surprised to hear how some funeral directors make excessive profit from the deal. I didn't realise there was variation in cost according to the time of the funeral. Apparently it is a lot cheaper at 9am than at 11am. I can see how a later time would be more popular as it would give time for mourners to arrive, sometimes from quite a distance away. But we were never offered a choice of times or told the difference in price. We were just relieved the time offered was convenient & soon. I suspect that's the case most of the time.

I gather many older people worry about how they will be able to pay for a decent funeral for themselves & often their spouses or partners. So many people have very little by way of savings behind them for that inevitable rainy day. In such circumstances £3000 is a very great deal indeed.