If you’re preplanning your end-of-life arrangements, you may be considering your final resting options. While traditional burials remain popular, cremation is becoming an increasingly sought-after alternative. To help you reach an informed decision that fits your final wishes, here are some benefits of cremation to explore. 

5 Benefits of Choosing to Be Cremated

1. Lower Cost

Cost can be a significant motivation behind many individuals’ preference for cremation. Traditional burials encompass the purchase of a casket, cemetery plot, and headstone, among other possible additions. The cost of being cremated is often just a fraction of that total, especially if you select a practical urn.

2. Reduced Carbon Footprint

Many environmentally conscious people prefer the idea of having their ashes retained in a memorial or scattered instead of taking up land space through a traditional burial. Cremation also maintains a limited carbon footprint because it doesn’t involve the manufacturing of caskets. 

3. Convenience

While traditional burials may be preferred by some religious populations, they do require more planning. In addition to arranging the funeral itself, you’ll also need to choose the cemetery where you’ll be laid to rest, the viewing arrangements, the graveside service, and the coffin. Choosing to be cremated allows you to bypass some of these decisions, often to the emotional benefit of your loved ones.

4. No Time Constraints

With traditional burials, viewings and funerals become time-sensitive. The pressure of scheduling can necessitate prompt travel arrangements, adding pressure in circumstances that are already emotionally challenging. Choosing to be cremated gives surviving loved ones the freedom to have your memorial on a date that works for everyone.

5. Freedom in Final Resting Place

Some individuals who are cremated provide instructions for scattering ashes at a beloved location. Others give surviving family members the freedom to do what they wish, whether that may be displaying cremated remains in a decorative urn. Either way, this option affords more flexibility for choosing your final resting place than a traditional burial.

If you’re preplanning your arrangements and would like to explore the options of burial or cremation in greater detail, allow the caring team from Johnson Funeral Home to help. For more than 65 years, these professionals have served Monroe County, AL, with compassionate and respectful services to honor the final wishes of the departed. Review their preplanning resources online or call (251) 575-3222 to meet with a director in person.