Low Economy Drives Many to Choose Cremation

All around the United States, people are looking to cut costs in every aspect of life. Unsurprisingly, not even the American rituals surrounding death and dying are immune to this cost-effective attitude. Due to how expensive they can become, funerals, and all that they encompass, can be huge burdens on families. Not only is the grieving family faced with the loss of a loved one, but also with the over-whelming cost of a proper, modern-day funeral. A viable answer to this pressing issue, cremation cuts down the expenses that make burials so costly, therefore providing security for families that are having a hard time financially.

Today, traditional burials and funerals can cost on average 6,000 dollars depending on the specific details. Contrastingly, a cremation can cost as little as 1,000 dollars. As the time of death is typically unpredictable, the inability of families to prepare for the funeral costs can result in financial difficulty. Before cremation was available, funeral homes maintained an economic monopoly on the market (Prothero 10), allowing them to make their prices as high as they wished without fear of competition. However, now that cremation is available to the majority of the nation, families have an alternate, predominately cheaper option for laying their loved ones to rest.

Another aspect of cremation that gives the process an economic edge on traditional burials is the fact that, when cremating, one does not need to purchase a burial plot. In today’s market, land can be extraordinarily expensive to purchase. In addition to this, fewer and fewer burial locations are available to the public as time progresses. Through cremation, this cost can be completely eliminated. Rather than buy a piece of property in a cemetery, families are now able to choose the more economical option: to cremate their loved ones and keep the remains in an ornate jar. Some may even choose to scatter their loved one’s remains in the ocean or a favorite city of the deceased.

McDonald Containers, a company that supplies containers for cremation, air trays for shipping and various other products to crematories, is a prime example of economical buying. McDonald Containers not only delivers quality products at low prices, but also promises same-day shipping on orders before noon. In order to keep cremation at a lower cost, companies like McDonald Containers are vital to the spread and success of the cremation industry.

Prothero, Stephen. Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America. Berkeley: U of California Press, 2002. Print.

Click here to view a pdf of the article.

Additional Articles

• “Making the Decision to be Cremated”
• “The Start of Cremation in America”
• “Cremation and Religion: Recent Practice or Ancient Tradition?”
• “Guidelines for Scattering Ashes”
• “How to Become a Known Shipper”
• “Indigent Burials and the Funeral Industry”
• “International Transportation of Bodies”
• “Pet Cremation Industry”
• “The Shipment of Cremated Remains”
• “Transporting Human Remains from Mexico to the US”
• “Transporting Human Remains from the US to Mexico”
• “TSA Regulations for Flying with Cremations Urns”
• “Unique ways to Scatter the Ashes of Loved Ones”