Affordability


  • Bay Area Funeral Society

The Federal Trade Commission requires funeral homes to provide consumers with a general price list (GPL). On this list, they must include two basic and usually cheap packages: Direct Cremation and Immediate Burial.

DIRECT CREMATION


Direct Cremation means that the decedent is cremated without a viewing or funeral ceremony. In most cases, the body is not embalmed and this saves you a significant amount of money. The package includes the basic services of the funeral director and staff. Typically, it also includes removal of remains; transfer to the crematory, necessary authorizations, and cremation.

Beware: Some funeral providers do not include the cost of cremation in direct cremation. This fee - which is usually around $300 - will be tacked onto the price of the package.

Under "Direct Cremation," look for these affordable options:

  • The price with an alternative container provided by the funeral home.
  • The price if you provide your own container

Instead of purchasing a casket, you may choose to have the body cremated in an alternative container, which can be made of cardboard or other similar materials. The general price list should present this option and describe the alternative container that the funeral home offers.

You may also make your own container or purchase one elsewhere (check with the mortuary to learn about construction requirements).

IMMEDIATE BURIAL


Immediate Burial is very similar to direct cremation. The decedent is buried without a viewing or funeral ceremony. In most cases, the body is not embalmed and this saves you a significant amount of money. The package includes the basic services of the funeral director and staff. Typically, it also includes removal of remains; and local transportation to the cemetery.

Under "Immediate Burial," look for these affordable options:

  • The price with an alternative container provided by the funeral home.
  • The price if you provide your own casket

While funeral providers are required to offer alternative containers with direct cremation, they need not do so for immediate burial.

If you choose this package, you may also build a casket or purchase one elsewhere. To save money, consider buying from a wholesale casket dealer.

Direct Cremation and Immediate burial cost far less than a "traditional" funeral, but you can save even more money on these packages by becoming a member of BAFS.

Remember: Though these packages do not include a viewing or funeral service, you can still commemorate the life of your loved one by arranging a memorial service (without the body present) at a funeral home, church, or residence.

LINKS


MSN Money, "Plan a funeral for $800 or less"

Who We Are

  • The Bay Area Funeral Society (BAFS) is a non-profit organization that helps consumers in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties arrange funerals that are dignified and affordable. BAFS is one of more than 100 similar groups across the country, supported by the national Funeral Consumer Alliance (www.funerals.org). We are run solely by volunteers, and have no attachment to the funeral industry or to any religious group.

What We Do

  • We contract with local, independent mortuaries so that our members receive death goods and services at reduced prices. We also engage in consumer-education outreach. This includes group presentations, printed materials, personal consultations, local price surveys and membership benefits.

Our History

  • BAFS grew out of the Berkeley Co-op movement and has been in operation for over fifty years. In the past, our membership roster included the famous author, Jessica Mitford, whose best-selling book, The American Way of Death, exposed the excesses and high-pressure sales tactics of the funeral industry. BAFS continues her work.