[ZinGirl]

a little cheaper...but cremation usually still requires you buy a coffin. go figure.

[Vigilanteman]

Yep. The industry-big government alliance still needs to get their cut. Still the average cremation is $1500 to $2000, still WAY less than the average funeral cost, especially when you add the costs of vaults, plots, etc.

I'm seriously considering opening up a Japanese style cemetery as I see the cremation trend definitely as a growth industry, but I'll bet there would be a maze of regulations to make ensure the industry-big government alliance still gets their cut.

[Average Al]

"a little cheaper...but cremation usually still requires you buy a coffin. go figure."

Perhaps a card board one if you want to show the body.

[goodnesswins]

"but cremation usually still requires you buy a coffin. go figure."

HA....you can get a cardboard coffin for "viewing" if YOU ASK...(A family member did this)

[mass55th]

My sister was cremated in NY State in 2011. She’d already bought what she used to call her drawer (mausoleum) years before. The urn was included. I only paid for the actual cremation, which was arranged with a funeral director. He didn’t have his own crematory, but had an agreement with one. He picked her up at the hospice care home, took her to the crematory, took care of the obit, death certificates, and other paperwork, contacted the cemetery for internment, and brought her ashes to the cemetery the day of the funeral. I paid him about $1400 for everything. I had to pay an extra fee to the cemetery to open and seal the drawer.