This is an invaluable site, answering probably every question you have about funerals and funeral services - including questions about finances: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/misc/funeral/funeral.htm
Here is a funeral home finder. You can look by county or city to see what's in your area. It's also helpful to ask friends who have recently lost a loved one to tell you about the care they received - either good or not so good. http://www.funeral-dir.com/
Here are Funeral Directors' Associations sites for several states:
http://www.ctfda.org/ Conneticut
http://www.njsfda.org/ New Jersey
http://www.nysfda.org/ New York
You might not like the analogy, but it's a helpful one. Planning a funeral is like buying a new car - and this is important to remember. Mainly, you need to remember two things:
(1) You need to be an informed consumer. (The sites above will prepare you.)
(2) You need to shop around and compare prices.
There can be quite a difference - both in quality and in price. These two basic practices can save you thousands of dollars.
| RESOURCES FOR THOSE WHO GRIEVE |
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Where is God When It Hurts? - Philip Yancey |
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Facing the Death of Someone You Love - Elisabeth Elliot
A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss - Gerald Sittzer
Lament for a Son – Nicholas Wolterstoff
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How To Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies - Therese A. Rando |
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Conquering the Mysteries and Lies of Grief - by Sherry Russell |
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On Death and Dying - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross |
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Gone but Not Lost: Grieving the Death of a Child - David Wiersbe |
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Water Bugs & Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children -
Gloria Ortiz |
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Not By Accident: What I Learned from My Son's Untimely Death - Isabel Fleece |
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