Can You Buy Your Own Casket or Coffin?
Traditionally, only funeral homes used to sell caskets, but things have changed over the last years. Today, online sellers and even cemeteries sell caskets and coffins. The Funeral Rule protects the customers and forbids the funeral homes to charge a handling fee for bringing in a casket that you purchased from a third-party sellers, including even Costco caskets, Walmart, and many more.
Why should you purchase a casket before you die?
The funeral industry is worth 20 billion dollars per year, and caskets make for a large percentage of that revenue. If you don’t want to spend all your budget on a casket, you can buy it online or from retail sellers. Many will find the purchase of a casket before their death challenging to digest.
However, purchasing your own casket/coffin before you die can significantly reduce the funeral spending when you buy from an online seller like Trusted Caskets. Keep in mind that it’s completely legal to purchase the casket before you die. It's one way to accept your own mortality, and you can customize it according to your preferences. As for storing it, most caskets can be kept out of sight right at home, some people store them in a garage, basement, or rental storage.
In all 50 states, no laws require that you to buy a casket from the funeral home, and only after the person has died. Quite the opposite, the funeral homes have to accept the casket you purchased elsewhere and not charge you extra for handling it.
Here are some aspects to consider before purchasing a casket:- Who will you buy the casket from?
- How will you transport the casket from place to place?
- Where do you intend on storing the casket?
- Will the casket last until your funeral?
We know that these questions are somewhat challenging to answer. If you thought about buying a casket before your death, we suggest you consider all aspects related to this purchase. We want you to feel confident in your decision and to be without any insecurities or doubts.
Is it a good idea to purchase your own casket?
There are several practical aspects to consider for purchasing your casket before your death.
The financial savings
If you're a cerebral person who likes to do due diligence before a big spending, it makes perfect sense that you buy a casket before you pass on. Your family may be under a lot of emotional stress and struggle to make the right decision. They may end up spending thousands of dollars on a casket at a funeral home. If they’re consumed with grief, they may be more likely to pay as much as the funeral home asks them.
At the end of the day, funeral homes are businesses, and their purpose is to grow accordingly. Should you look at the online sellers as Trusted Caskets, you will see that the prices are a lot more affordable than at a funeral home. We provide you with products at a fraction of the cost found in funeral homes. We also supply our caskets to various funeral homes.
You want to be buried on your own property
Ensure that you check out the regulations in your state for burying human remains at a residential property. Some states even allow funeral services on your own land without hiring a funeral director and you don’t have to buy a casket from a specific seller. Always check the state laws if you prefer this idea for a funeral.
You can customize it
Funerals are serious events in one’s life and should honor the deceased’s life. If you buy your own casket, you can have it customized just the way you like it. Needless to say, if you’re the one doing the painting and/or the customization, the final product will be the most incredible reflection of your personality.
You are environmentally conscious
Suppose you care a lot about the environment. In that case, you might want to have as little impact on nature as possible after you pass away. Green burials make the most appropriate choice because they don’t pollute the local environment in any way. However, a green burial isn’t always possible with a funeral home.
Check out the online retailers because they offer a generous collection of wicker caskets and caskets made of sustainable materials (hemp, wool, cardboard) as well.
Where should you store the casket?
It is an important detail to consider where you will store your casket until you pass away. The daily sight of your own casket may be too morbid, so we don’t recommend storing it in your living room.
With most caskets being 28 inches wide by 84 inches long and 24 inches high, it’s not too difficult to store it for most Americans. A dry garage or a loft space makes for the most effective storage place. You may easily tuck away the casket and have straightforward access to it if need be.
Caskets can work as storage spaces, but this idea is not for the faint of heart. Some like going all in and even sleep in the caskets for years. You decide how comfortable you truly are with your mortality.
If you don’t have the storage space at home, you can look for a self-storage outlet near your home. Don’t forget to check out the cost for the storage— you might end up paying more than if you were to buy a casket after your death.
Note:
If you store your casket in a garage or a self-storage unit, make sure that the casket is protected against pests, temperature change, and water. The last thing you want is to have water or heat ruin your casket long before it’s time. Also, you need to ensure that termites cannot reach and decimate it.
Will your family use the casket? How can you be sure?
Should you decide to buy your own casket, you should tell your family about it. Whether it’s your spouse or other family members, you should inform them about your purchase and the storing place of the casket.
When you don’t have a spouse or family members to inform about you buying the casket, you need to include it in the post-death documentation along with the will. The most important reason for making this unconventional purchase is to have lower spending for your next of kin at your death.
For those of you with a really dark sense of humor, a post-it on the fridge saying “Please bury me in the casket in the garage” will work too.
What other expense can you cover before the funeral?
If you’re thinking about purchasing your own casket before you pass away, you may very well cut down the spending on your funeral if you also pre-pay for some things. You can pre-plan the funeral with the funeral home— we suggest you hire one of the most prestigious companies in your area. You don’t want the funeral home to go out of business before your passing.
Be diligent about your expenses and decide what’s best for you and pay, if possible. Some funeral homes will negotiate a pre-paid funeral, which locks in the costs at the current time Funeral prices tend to go up, so it's not a bad idea to organize a pre-paid funeral. If you are healthy and young, it’s quite a wise investment to make in the long run.
You can still keep your spending for the funeral under control by purchasing other things apart from the casket. You may buy the burial plot, but try to do it from a private seller.
Is it legal to build your own casket?
In the USA, it’s not illegal to build your own casket. Be aware that some state laws regulate it, and caskets must meet specific criteria. If the deceased died of a contagious disease or if there are environmental concerns, the caskets must meet certain criteria.
At the end of the day, death is part of the natural part of life, and we all have to go through it at some point. The later, the better, nevertheless…
Blog Author: Tim