Cremation might not be something you've thought of, much. You may have a vague idea that you want your body to be cremated, for whatever reason. There are many good reasons, of course. Primarily, it is one of the cheapest methods of dealing with a corpse after death, but also you can have your ashes interred in different ways or released in different ways than you would be able to do with your corpse, among dozens of other reasons. 

First thing, you need to make out a will defining that you specifically want to be cremated. Have it in writing and sign it. You may think you have gotten your wishes across to the correct number of relatives, and maybe you have. But you have to think back to the times when you lost loved ones. Who made the decisions, and were they thinking clearly? Planning a funeral through a haze of grief is difficult to do under the best of circumstances, and it's worst when half the family thinks you'd want it one way and the other half thinks you want it another. 

Secondly, consider whether your family would feel better and more at peace if you had an engraved epitaph they could visit. Sometimes the objection to cremation is more centered on how people feel about not being able to go to one spot to deal with their grief. You can actually purchase the space to put up a stone and have it engraved ahead of time — well, everything but the date of your death, but that can be added later and included in the cost. Not only can you give your family space to grieve, but you can eliminate objections to how your body is handled by giving them something of the traditional burial. 

Thirdly, many funeral homes will actually let you prepay for your eventual cremation (or even full service). It may seem weird, but if you pay for it ahead of time then it's a lot harder to deny that it's exactly what you wanted, even for the most stubborn of your relatives, who may view a more traditional burial as the only way to handle it. Also, it's a lot harder to argue for paying for a much more expensive burial if the other option is that nobody pays for the cremation. 

Funerals are for the grieving, but it often helps the grieving to know that they are fulfilling your wishes to the fullest. Make it as clear as you can that you want what you want — not only will it take a lot of strife and decision-making out of their stressed and grieving hands, but give them the satisfaction of knowing they fulfilled your wishes. 

For more information on cremation, reach out to a funeral home near you. 

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