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My uncle died last week and we wanted to put his obituary in the Times Daily. We were told it was $300 just to put an obituary in the paper. And that was without a picture. 

 

I was so shocked. Hell, the whole family was. Anyone else think this is outrageous? 


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"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality." Edgar Allan Poe.

Last edited by Seven
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I can certainly understand the shock and outrage.  My opinion is that any family is already in Shock and grief and frankly it sounds like the Times Daily taking advantage of people.  I know papers are in trouble today so have to find more avenues for funding but charging that much to families at that time in their life just seems sleazy.

They will publish a brief, one-paragraph obit for free.  They charge more for one with an extended biography.

 

If you don't like their price, then don't pay it.  For myself, I have committed not to play along with the death industry. Plain home-made pine box/cremation/no puff-piece obit to tell the world how wonderful I was.

Originally Posted by Bestworking:

Wow, when did that happen? Wasn't it free at one time?

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They have been charging for detailed obituaries for several years.  The description of this service on the TD obituary page indicates the the obits "may be placed by funeral directors on behalf of the family." A TD classified ads representative told me that the family could place the obit directly provided they had all the "paperwork" in order.

 

The TD's fee for printing the obituary is 58 cents per WORD!  A photograph can be added for an additional $30.00.

 

A $300.00 obituary, with  no photo, would run to  517 words @ 58 cents/word.  By my reckoning obits, on average, consume about 4 inches for each 100 words.  A 517-word obit would occupy  slightly more than 20 column inches, which is only about 2 inches shy of an entire column in the TD's current format.  That would be a considerably longer than average obituary.

 

By comparison, a 5-day, four-line ad for merchandise up to $99.00 is billed at $8.98.  A 4-line classified ad runs to about 10 words. That comes to 8.98 cents per word, BUT the ad runs for 5 days, so the per day cost per word is only 18.9 cents.

 

The Times Daily is a business.  A funeral home is a business.  Businesses are fee to charge whatever they want for their services. You and I are free to decide whether to use their services and pay what they charge.  To the extent that folks are in servitude to the bizarre and expensive death industry, they must pay the going rates, which in my opinion--especially as regards the funeral home business--are unnecessarily expensive and often a very heavy burden upon survivors.  Die gracefully and get your carcass put in a cheap wooden cbox and cremated.  Have the ashes spread out over your favorite fishin' hole, golf course, or honky-tonk parking lot.

 

 

Last edited by Contendah

 Die gracefully and get your carcass put in a cheap wooden cbox and cremated.  Have the ashes spread out over your favorite fishin' hole, golf course, or honky-tonk parking lot.

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Maybe people don't want to be spread at a fishing hole, golf course or honky tonk or anywhere else. What is dying gracefully? I'm surprised you didn't say get yourself murdered and you'll get a free write up in the papers. 

 

 

Who said:

THAT is an absurd, wild-ass, and indefensible statistic.   If you disagree, then put up the goods.

Last edited by Bestworking
Originally Posted by Seven:
Originally Posted by CrustyMac:

Not really.

Honestly Crusty? You don't think that is too much? 

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No. The daily circulation for the TD is about 30k + whoever visits their website.  How much would it cost you to print up your obituary and mail it to 30,000 people?  A lot more than $300.  Oh, and as already mentioned, a simple announcement is free. 

Originally Posted by CrustyMac:
Originally Posted by Seven:
Originally Posted by CrustyMac:

Not really.

Honestly Crusty? You don't think that is too much? 

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No. The daily circulation for the TD is about 30k + whoever visits their website.  How much would it cost you to print up your obituary and mail it to 30,000 people?  A lot more than $300.  Oh, and as already mentioned, a simple announcement is free. 

While you are entitled to your opinion, I respectfully disagree. I don't know how we could have made it any simpler than it was. 

Originally Posted by semiannualchick:

Best way to go is cremation. Instead of having a visitation service at the funeral home (before cremation), have a memorial service at home after cremation. For the obituary keep it simple. So & so is dead, was cremated, memorial at home & the date. 

I want to be cremated. I don't want to be laid out in a funeral home for people to come gawk at me. I've never liked going to funerals and seeing the person like that. I'd rather people remember me as I was when I was alive.

 

Plus it's so much cheaper. 

 
Originally Posted by Seven:
Originally Posted by semiannualchick:

Best way to go is cremation. Instead of having a visitation service at the funeral home (before cremation), have a memorial service at home after cremation. For the obituary keep it simple. So & so is dead, was cremated, memorial at home & the date. 

I want to be cremated. I don't want to be laid out in a funeral home for people to come gawk at me. I've never liked going to funerals and seeing the person like that. I'd rather people remember me as I was when I was alive.

 

Plus it's so much cheaper. 

+++

 

Donate your remains to the UAB medical school and they'll do it for free.

 
Originally Posted by semiannualchick:

Best way to go is cremation. Instead of having a visitation service at the funeral home (before cremation), have a memorial service at home after cremation. For the obituary keep it simple. So & so is dead, was cremated, memorial at home & the date. 

 

+++

 

Obits are a source of information for genealogist.  Might want to consider including past & present immediate family members.

Originally Posted by Seven:
Originally Posted by semiannualchick:

Best way to go is cremation. Instead of having a visitation service at the funeral home (before cremation), have a memorial service at home after cremation. For the obituary keep it simple. So & so is dead, was cremated, memorial at home & the date. 

I want to be cremated. I don't want to be laid out in a funeral home for people to come gawk at me. I've never liked going to funerals and seeing the person like that. I'd rather people remember me as I was when I was alive.

 

Plus it's so much cheaper. 

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Read this very detailed description of what will happen to your body if you or your family  unwisely decide to submit it to the loving labors of the ghouls in the funeral industry:

 

http://mcneill-bindon.ca/files...aldehyde-Curtain.pdf

 

The author of this piece wrote the classic, "The American Way of Death" back in the 1960s:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...merican_Way_of_Death

 

She walked the walk:

"Mitford herself had an inexpensive funeral, which cost $533.31 – she was cremated without a ceremony, and the ashes scattered at sea; the cremation itself cost $475.[1] The funeral company was the Pacific Interment Service, which prides itself on "dignity, simplicity, affordability".[2]

Originally Posted by budsfarm:
 
Originally Posted by Seven:
Originally Posted by semiannualchick:

Best way to go is cremation. Instead of having a visitation service at the funeral home (before cremation), have a memorial service at home after cremation. For the obituary keep it simple. So & so is dead, was cremated, memorial at home & the date. 

I want to be cremated. I don't want to be laid out in a funeral home for people to come gawk at me. I've never liked going to funerals and seeing the person like that. I'd rather people remember me as I was when I was alive.

 

Plus it's so much cheaper. 

+++

 

Donate your remains to the UAB medical school and they'll do it for free.

___

Thanks; I will look into that.  Whatever is the most economical legal way to dispose of my carcass is the way I want to go.

Originally Posted by Contendah:
Originally Posted by Seven:
Originally Posted by semiannualchick:

Best way to go is cremation. Instead of having a visitation service at the funeral home (before cremation), have a memorial service at home after cremation. For the obituary keep it simple. So & so is dead, was cremated, memorial at home & the date. 

I want to be cremated. I don't want to be laid out in a funeral home for people to come gawk at me. I've never liked going to funerals and seeing the person like that. I'd rather people remember me as I was when I was alive.

 

Plus it's so much cheaper. 

____

Read this very detailed description of what will happen to your body if you or your family  unwisely decide to submit it to the loving labors of the ghouls in the funeral industry:

 

http://mcneill-bindon.ca/files...aldehyde-Curtain.pdf

 

The author of this piece wrote the classic, "The American Way of Death" back in the 1960s:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...merican_Way_of_Death

 

She walked the walk:

"Mitford herself had an inexpensive funeral, which cost $533.31 – she was cremated without a ceremony, and the ashes scattered at sea; the cremation itself cost $475.[1] The funeral company was the Pacific Interment Service, which prides itself on "dignity, simplicity, affordability".[2]

 

Thanks for info and the links Contendah. Good stuff. I already knew a lot of this. 

Death is very expensive. My uncle passed away recently and had prepaid funeral arrangements including opening and closing of the grave. cost when he bought it $3000, cost today over $6000. Next a trip to lawyer to supposedly probate a will that was written less than 2 years ago by the same lawyer. We are told the will is no good because of the way it was written and now we have to pay$2800 to undo the will and then probate it. Should take 6 months. Did not try to sell house to settle estate for 9 months and now we find the same lawyer, (forgot) to file the correct papers with the probate court.. Court was not much help either. Because of this we lost about $11,000 in fees, repairs, ETC. Orbituary placed by Funeral home is not free. That cost over $100.00 as well.

 

Wow, Pooh. You guys went through the wringer. I'd be complaining about that lawyer to someone or group that could do something about his work. He sounds unethical.

 

One of my sisters f-I-l had a pre-paid funeral but they found out there was still an additional $6000 they had to shell out when he died. Stuff like the obit, opening and closing the grave, meal afterwards.

 

The funeral home we will be using when my mom dies puts the obit in the paper  and charges for it, I think it's by the word, but it gripes my butt that they always put an advertisement for their business at the end of the obit.

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