Losing a family member or loved one is never easy. Combine this stress with the financial aspect of paying for cremation services in Clarksville, TN and you’ve got one big cocktail of stress and pain. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways you can cut cremation costs while still giving an honorable and respectful goodbye to your lost loved one, like spreading ashes after cremation services.

Even simple cremations cost money, not including the costs of services and other products. There is no shame in looking for help with paying for or lowering the cost of cremations. Here are three ways to do just that:

1. Preplanning – Check the deceased’s papers and information to see if they made any plans to help pay for their cremation. They might have put in place things such as prepaying programs, funeral insurance, life insurance, and payable-on-death bank accounts.
2. Fund Raising – Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your community, neighborhood, friends or other family. You’d be surprised how quickly people will chip in. Get creative with fund raising like car washes or bake sales, church groups or donations, memorial funds at the deceased’s workplace or bank, and crowd funding websites like GoFundMe.com or GiveForward.com. Social media is also a great tool to make your need known and get more people involved. Don’t be afraid to share any fund raising or write posts about your need.
3. Government Assistance – Local, state and even federal government programs can help pay for funerals and cremations. Check with your local social service, county treasurer, or public fiduciary to see if any systems are in place. These programs have varying requirements, especially since local government budgets are tight, and they are making such programs more difficult to qualify for. Be sure to double check that you are eligible. The Social Security Administration can also provide assistance. Call to report a death and you may be eligible for a lump sum of $225 or other survivor benefits. Other federal programs that can help are Medicare, Medicaid and the Veteran’s Administration, The Bureau of Indian Affairs and The Railroad Retirement Board.

If you still can’t get enough funding, there are tons of low-cost cremation options you can choose from, including:

• Host the memorial service at home, the community center, church or other religious establishment
• Bring pot-luck food for the service
• Choose body donation to a medical school or other organization (Science Care is the world’s largest body donor program)
• Look into direct cremations
• Bury the cremains on family land or a family plot

If you need more information on any of these ways to save money on cremation services or know what to do after cremation service, Sykes Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help. We offer a wide range of services with an even wider range of price points. We are here to help you in your time of loss, no matter what your budget. Call us today to learn more about what we can do for you.