What funeral items should cost.

Non-declinable. Covers funeral director, permits, filings. Every funeral home charges this.

Use of facilities & staff for the ceremony (NFDA 2023 median $550). A church, park, or home is often free.

Use of the funeral home for visitation. A church or community space can substitute.

Funeral home staff present at the cemetery. Optional.

Not legally required in any US state. About 15 states require embalming OR refrigeration after 24–48 hours — refrigeration is always a legal alternative. Decline unless you have a specific reason and the funeral home has confirmed in writing why it is needed.

Dressing, hair, makeup. Optional. Decline if no viewing.

Charged per day. Most homes give a free grace period (often 24–72 hours) before the clock starts, so a multi-day total is not an overcharge — check the daily rate.

Moving the body from the place of death to the funeral home.

The funeral home's hearse is the default for transport to the cemetery, but you can ask about lower-cost transport options. Not required for cremation.

Pure upsell. Families can drive themselves.

The funeral home's service fee to prepare and forward remains to another home. Does NOT include the separate airline shipping cost, which can legitimately add thousands — a high total may be mostly freight.

The service fee to receive remains from another funeral home and handle the local arrangements.

The bundled cremation package line on a GPL. Budget and online providers run $700–$1,400; traditional homes charge more. Worth comparing the whole arrangement total too.

The crematory's own charge, often passed through. Wholesale is typically $250–$400.

Must be combustible — cardboard or unfinished plywood qualifies. The funeral home is legally required under the FTC Funeral Rule to make a low-cost alternative container available and to tell you it exists. If they don't show you one, that's a violation. You never need an expensive casket for cremation.

A ceremonial casket rented for a viewing before cremation — far cheaper than buying. Above about $1,500 you're nearing the cost of simply buying a basic casket.

Add-on to be present when the cremation begins. A small fee — $100–$300 is typical.

Remains are returned in a temporary container if no urn is selected. You can decide later — no rush.

You can buy from Costco, Amazon, or any third-party vendor for $900–$1,400. The funeral home MUST legally accept it (FTC Funeral Rule). Markup at funeral homes is 300–500%.

Same third-party purchase right applies. Buying from outside the funeral home saves $3,000–$4,000 routinely.

Required by the cemetery, NOT by law. Choose the cheapest option that meets the cemetery's standard.

Compare cemeteries independently. Funeral home referrals often involve referral fees baked into the price.

Cemetery fee. Limited room to negotiate, but cemeteries vary.

Buy DIRECT from a monument company. Funeral home markup on stone is massive.

Most families need 5–10 copies to start. Order through the funeral home at the time of death — it's faster, and most homes pass through the state's base fee. Ask whether they're charging a markup. You can order more later directly from your state vital records office.

Online obituaries are free. Newspapers charge per word — keep it short or skip the print version.

Print locally or at home. Canva templates are free.

Thank-you / acknowledgement cards, usually sold by the box of about 25. Often far cheaper outside the funeral home.

The guest / register book. A simple one is $25–$50; 'premium', 'personalized', or 'custom' versions are a common upsell.

Direct from a florist is 40–60% cheaper. Never order through the funeral home.