# When it's time to curl your toes...



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

...and start pushing up them daisies, how do you plan to handle the costs?

We were discussing this over morning coffee last week as one of those term life commercials were playing on the TV on the wall in our corner of the cafÃ© and as our round table laughed at the thought of "affordable term life for less than the cost of a morning paper" we shared our various strategies and while they varied, none of us considered the term insurance to be that good of a deal.

One of the guys in his mid 70s said he had his funeral package prepaid at the local family run undertaker since 1967 and since then he has only had to pay extra one time for increased casket and vault charge and now he checks with the parlor on his and his wife's birthday to ensure their plantings are still covered.

He said what little debt they have will be covered by the whole life policies they bought when they got married in 1960 and return a dividend each year.

Another said his wife suggested a term life policy and he told her that instead of doing that he would contact them to see what the monthly premium was and instead invest that amount and now after 15 years they have a low risk investment account worth enough for a basic service and cremation and what little they owe on their credit cards he told his kids to not probate whats left after they are gone and let the credit card companies suck on all the interest they collected on them over the years.

When they asked me what my toe curl plans were since I was single and I told them I never had to make any plans because my father made them for me when I was 6 months old.

That was when he put a $2000 whole life policy on me and when I turned 21 he made me increase it to $20,000 and there have only been seven or eight years so far when the dividend didn't cover the premium and still give me a check for $5 to $15 a year and even in those bad years the most I had to pay so far was $35 or so and my no service cremation was no where close to the expense that policy provides.

As far as my credit cards go I always keep them paid down so if my mother or gf decide to square up with them , the remainder of my burial policy or my other savings they are primary and secondary beneficiaries on will cover them unless they want to leave the credit companies sucking on the interest I have paid over the years. With my toes curled I really won't have much say in what they do :shrug:

So what are your toe curling and daisy pushing plans? Have you already got some in place or still putting it off?


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Ever heard the term - I'm worth more dead than alive.? That's me..... :angel:
If'n the wife can't part with any of that money to bury me - oh well, I'll not be in any condition to argue. 
In turn - come to think of it - she's in the same boat - hummmmm!


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## Ramblin Wreck (Jun 10, 2005)

Well, my burial spot has been awaiting me on cemetary hill in Dallas since the day I was born. My brothers and I have been toying with the idea of building our own caskets, to the point of picking out the type of wood we wanted. (I'm partial to cedar for some reason but poplar or bay would work too.) There's more than enough insurance or cash in the bank to cover the other costs, which I hope will be kept to a minimum. I hope not to be embalmed but rather chucked in a casket and chucked into the dirt. The quicker I return to the dust from which I was formed the better.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

I carry a card that donates my body to science. The paperwork is already done. There are various sites on the internet related to this. I chose a local one. When they are done with my body, it's cremated & sent to family. This is all at no charge. From there I've requested they mix the ashes with Forget Me Not seeds & scatter next to a stream.


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## bluetick (May 11, 2002)

Wolf Mom, that's my latest thinking too. I have a small whole life policy and had thought of cremation because of its lower cost. I asked my pulmonologist about donating my body and he said it would be much appreciated. Will look further into it!


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## SimplerTimez (Jan 20, 2008)

My oldest daughter is my executor since I'm single. She gets a larger share of the death proceeds (I too, am worth more dead than alive!) and has my cremation instructions. I told them I didn't care what they did for a post-death activity, do what made them feel best. Nothing, or anything, but I won't be displayed unless it's in an urn 
My husband died at 40, up until then, I had no plans a'tall. Now I have a DNR, living will, regular will and all that jazz. We didn't plan for his death, and I paid the price for that. My kids won't have to do the same.

~ST


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## Fair Light (Oct 13, 2010)

Arrangements already made...I am going to the body farm in Knoxville..have a life insurance policy that my three will split...no funeral, no coffin..just transport to Knoxville...no ashes returned..nothing for them to deal with....I like the idea of not being buried...just rotting on the ground...everything I own is in a trust that transfers to them when I die....no probate...real simple..all they have to do is open my safe deposit box and follow the instructions....


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

cremation and scatter the ashes


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## SectorSteve (Nov 29, 2003)

No funeral, no memorial service, no obituary. If you can't visit or call while I'm still alive, you don't need to know I'm dead. Direct cremation and put my ashes in a jar on the mantle next to my dogs ashes. 
Steve


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## lmrose (Sep 24, 2009)

We don't have life insurance as my husband is not insurable. He is considered high risk with high blood pressure, an enlarged heart and one kidney. So we have saved up for our cremation or rather mine. His will be almost covered by Canada Pension which is like Social Security in the USA. I don't get it as I never paid into it. If my kids want a memorial service they can do it. It doesn't make any difference to me as I won't know it! Our ashes can be scattered in the ocean. Clean and simple.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I will be cremated. My wish is someone will release my ashes to blow in the wind, from the Indian burial grounds at the head of Wallowa Lake....James


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

Humm-interesting--let the credit companies just go? I was wondering about that awhile back-and someone hinted I might die to avoid them?? I'm still paying off debts from my Husband dying last year-But I don't have any intention of dying till every things paid up-and this includes my cremation! Gives me incentive to live a long life (longer) right?


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

That's me too, Sector Steve:


> No funeral, no memorial service, no obituary. If you can't visit or call while I'm still alive, you don't need to know I'm dead.


I gave up on most family when I planned a family reunion, cooked for two days, rented a place convenient to most members (but not for me), carried in everything, cleaned before and after, and no one said thanks, no one brought anything, no one helped, AND they couldn't wait to eat till I had it on the table! Who said "soo-eee'?


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## lmrose (Sep 24, 2009)

ceresone said:


> Humm-interesting--let the credit companies just go? I was wondering about that awhile back-and someone hinted I might die to avoid them?? I'm still paying off debts from my Husband dying last year-But I don't have any intention of dying till every things paid up-and this includes my cremation! Gives me incentive to live a long life (longer) right?


 
Ceresone I know what you mean as we feel the same. We won't leave debt for our kids to pay. Here debts get paid after death either from the estate or they go after near family. Thankfully we have paid off every debt we had and owe no one anything. We came in this world with nothing and leave with nothing and will not leave debt behind for others to pay. I believe in tying up loose ends as we saw what happened when relatives died and nothing was settled before hand. It was hard on the families involved.


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## Bentley (Jul 10, 2008)

Ramblin Wreck said:


> Well, my burial spot has been awaiting me on cemetary hill in Dallas since the day I was born. My brothers and I have been toying with the idea of building our own caskets, to the point of picking out the type of wood we wanted. (I'm partial to cedar for some reason but poplar or bay would work too.) There's more than enough insurance or cash in the bank to cover the other costs, which I hope will be kept to a minimum. I hope not to be embalmed but rather chucked in a casket and chucked into the dirt. The quicker I return to the dust from which I was formed the better.


I do a little woodworking for fun, and have thought of building my casket as well. But I think I'll use particleboard, and treat it with sugar water. :bouncy:

Seriously, I plan to be cremated, and have my ashes tossed in my local fishing lake. Then I want my family to go out and have a good dinner on me, and tell silly stories that would probably embarrass me were I there.

That's my wishes....what they choose to do is up to them.

B


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## SageLady (Jun 10, 2008)

Cremation for both DH and me. Private family memorial service. None of this will cost much.... Kids can do whatever they want with our ashes. Maybe scatter them over our land if we're still living here by then...

Everything is already taken care of legally for our house, property, and funds to pass directly to our DDs upon the last one of us dying. No waiting on Probate.... We are debt free, so hopefully there shouldn't be any bills left for our DDs to deal with.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

Hubby and I don't care much for the idea of cremation and we can't exactly explain why. So... We have life insurance to cover the costs of burial and a funeral. We don't want open caskets and we don't want sad music...just jazz! There should be plenty of money leftover as an inheritance for the kids and the rest of our property will be divided among the children with a few special items going to the grandkids.


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## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

Having just gone through a 2 yr long drawn out probate with DH's family when his mom passed, we had our will changed--the three kids will be co-excutors and everything is to be sold and split between them after both DH and I are gone. No debt here so the kids should get a big chunk each--that's if we still have everything when the time comes..lol

We both want to be cremated and sprinkle here at the farm, no funeral services, unless those that want to attend the spreading. DH wants in his chicken lot and myself out in the pasture. 

I think funerals and caskets are the biggest waste of money...and I dont want to spend any more than need be.


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

I'm to be cremated and my ashes mixed into the compost pile for my garden.
Dh wants to be buried sitting on his Harley, we still need to work the details of that one out a bit....:happy2:


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## cesium (Jan 9, 2008)

My wife and I are to be creamated and do not want a funeral. We have already talked about who gets what, and the kids agree. Everything will be split evenly between them. 

We have a few specific places we wish our ashed to be scattered. It will cost them a bit of money, but we have planned for that. Told my kids we will haunt them forever if they dont scatter us where we want - :grin:. 

The one thing we would really like is for the entire family (and friends) to get together and have a great, fun party, retell stories about us and our parents/grandparents, and become closer to one another - simply rebuild and strenghten family bonds. 

Thinking about this makes me want another beer.......

The end is (could be) near - :shocked:


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

I had to join a union when I began working at a young age . they have kept me insured and as I collect my pension i'm still covered and death benefits are included . as I agree with some previous commenters not to waste much money on a funeral or casket I hope great nephews or nieces may enjoy a trip to Disney or something instead .


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## poorboy (Apr 15, 2006)

To bury me down the road from my small farm put me with dad, grandad,great granddad, and great great grandad...


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

In our County, you can file a paper for a "private cemetery" on your own land. It's a fifteen dollar fee. Then you dig a hole and get yourself put into it within 72 hours of death and that's all the expenses you need to incur. This method works best, of course, if you can pretty much figure when you are going to need it or have neighbors with a backhoe.

Otherwise, I was thinking it might be fun to be cremated and put into a lot of different urns and mailed to friends and family members. Let them figure out what to do next. Ha!


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

When my step dad passed away some years ago we went to the cemetery where he said he had purchased a plot only to find he intended to buy it on a payment plan and never made the payments. We were scrambling around to find a place at the last minute. Then we found out that his small life insurance policy had been left in his x-wife's name and she got the check. Bless her heart, she signed it over to us so that we could pay for the funeral and plot. All this was hitting us at a time when emotionally we were not at all in a place to deal with it...but deal with it we had to do.

Point being, if you are responsible to handle those final details...make sure you know what is and isn't in place. It really was a mess. 

We all vowed we would not inflict that scenario on our families and we promptly went out and bought plots next to the spot we found for my step dad. For whatever reasons, we would rather be buried than cremated. My sister is mad that I got the plot next to mom. lol!

My mom is 87 and she's been wonderful about planning for the final details. She hasn't really much for worldly goods or insurance but she does have a small policy that will handle the funeral, her plot is paid for and I have the deed. She has a small savings account to handle her final bill payments and she put her tiny house in my name some years back. The house thing was actually something my siblings came up with because I moved in with mom to take care of her. They all had houses and I had lost my farm due to divorce so they figured it was the right thing to do.


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