One of the most important decisions you'll make when creating your funeral pre-plan is what to do with your physical body. Traditional full-body burial in a casket and cemetery has been the choice of many for years. It is estimated that more people will soon choose cremation over this traditional approach. Here are some of the reasons why you may wish to consider cremation in your funeral pre-plan.

1. You can reduce the cost of your funeral plan with cremation. 

Funeral homes offer both the traditional full-body burial and cremation services. If you are concerned with the overall expense of the funeral to you and your family, cremation will help reduce those costs. To keep the costs to a bare minimum, you could design your funeral arrangement as follows:

• Have yourself cremated as soon as possible after your death.
• Have your cremains returned to your family in a simple cardboard box.
• Have your cremains scattered over a favorite spot, such as a park or lake.

Many people want some form of funeral services after they have passed away. You can create a funeral plan that includes some form of ceremony and still be cremated. Such a plan can still save you money. For example:

• Have a viewing of the body by renting a casket and having your body cremated after the service. Renting the casket saves you over purchasing one.
• Have your cremains stored in a simple urn and buried in a small plot set aside by many cemeteries for such burials. You'll save by not having to buy a standard-sized cemetery plot, a concrete vault, if required, and a casket.

2. You'll give your family more time to make arrangements when you're cremated.

Funeral homes must do something with your body in a few days, if you choose a full-body burial. This means that while your family is still dealing with the shock of your passing, they must organize your funeral quickly. If you're cremated, your family can take their time getting together the facilities and speakers and send out the funeral notices. It also gives people who must travel a long distance to be at the funeral time to make plans and get to your location.

3. You can make a smaller impact on the environment by being cremated.

For some people, it's the eco-friendly nature of cremation that draws them to that decision. Some of the ways that cremation limits the ecological impact include:

• If you don't have a viewing, you won't need the harsh embalming chemicals required to preserve your body for the service.
• By having your cremains stored in a simple urn, you save the hardwood used to manufacture your casket.
• You won't need a large plot in the cemetery if you are buried in the urn or stored in a niche in a columbarium.