Planning On Dying In Montana? Here’s How Much It Will Cost You.

In the last two years, both of my parents have passed away and their wishes were to be cremated, so that's what we did. Now, they sit on a shelf in my kitchen along with a statue of Jesus. My co-worker Megan's dad passed away 5 years ago and was also cremated, and now rides around in her vehicle wherever she goes.

For a long time, the idea was that cremation costs a lot less than the traditional burial, however, there is some new information from The Zebra that suggests that might not necessarily be true.

For instance, here in Montana, the median price of a traditional funeral is just under 7 grand, coming in at 6,888 dollars. The cost of cremation here in Montana? 5,694 bucks. However, both of those prices are still below the national average of 7,848 dollars for a traditional burial and 6,970 dollars for a funeral with cremation.

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I've gone back and forth on this whole thing. I mean, both have their positives, right?  My fear with burial has always been, what if I wake up and I'm stuck in this box? I realize that's ridiculous thinking, but that's the type of thinking my brain does!  At least with cremation, if I wake up, I can be like "turn it off, I'm still here!"

Part of me thinks it would be nice to have a place where family and friends can come visit me with a nice headstone, and maybe a bench with a couple of spots for flowers. You know, somewhere they could sit and remember how awesome I was.

Of course, the other part thinks it would be funny to be on the mantel reminding my wife and her new husband that I'm still around.

If you do choose to go the burial route, here is some interesting information for you to ponder. Here in Montana, there are no state laws saying you can't be buried at home.  So, if you would like to be buried in the backyard, that's an option as long as there are no local laws stating otherwise.

Listen, life happens pretty fast, so even if you think "eh, I've got a lot of years left," it's always smart to have a plan and let your loved ones know what that plan is. That way, when your time does come, your wishes are honored and you don't have to worry about coming back and haunting anyone.