[Palladin]

Here is a price list for a very simple funeral in Central PA. Keep in mind, there are several hidden costs (usually involves the coffin, these vary greatly in price) and there are always cemetery expenses separate from the funeral home expenses:

http://www.lastrights.info/commercial.htm

[Palladin]

Many thanks to my many critics on this thread, who forced me to do more research, in the interests of accuracy. I learned a lot in the last hour.

Amazingly, I discovered that you can carry out a do-it-yourself funeral in Pennsylvania. It is not against the law. Of course it would entail a certain sense of detachment and a good deal of emotional control. This is why we pay funeral directors a lot of money.

Here is the link:

http://www.lastrights.info/DIY.html

I know for a fact that Hospice does many of these final acts for the bereaved.

Interesting topic, maybe a good one for the New Year, when we start thinking about the future.