Cardboard coffins

[Robert]

Well times do get interesting, seems the crisis in Venezuela has gotten bad enough that it would take a years wages to buy a wood coffin. So the alternative is cardboard, I wonder why we have not heard the news talk more about the crisis in Venezuela since its not far away.


To bad for the funeral industry since those elaborate caskets cost a lot of money but are not environmentally friendly like the cardboard.   


http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/venezuela-opts-cardboard-coffins-wooden-caskets-become-unaffordable-1578305

http://designyoutrust.com/2016/08/growing-demand-for-cardboard-coffins-in-venezuela/

A wooden coffin in Venezuela can cost 280,000 bolivars, equivalent to about a year of earnings at minimum wages and about four times that of a biodegradable coffin. Made of recycled corrugated fiberboard, the bio-coffin is light, can hold up to 230 kilos (500 pounds) and can be put together in less than 10 minutes.

[Rams]

A wooden coffin in Venezuela can cost 280,000 bolivars, equivalent to about a year of earnings at minimum wages and about four times that of a biodegradable coffin. Made of recycled corrugated fiberboard, the bio-coffin is light, can hold up to 230 kilos (500 pounds) and can be put together in less than 10 minutes.

In a past life, I was the Production Manager of a facility that produced corrugated boxes.    One of our products was a corrugated coffin, our only customer was the US Government.   We produced and sold way too many of them.  

[The emperor has no clothes]

This has nothing to do with cardboard. But when I was 14 I got a job at a funeral home cutting the grass and taking care of the flowers. The owner then had me start putting together precut plywood caskets that they used for the homeless people.

[Gavin_Sons]

still too much money for a coffin. I tell my wife i want cremated and my friends to load me into their shot shells, rifle rounds or whatever and shoot me. doubt that will happen though

[Gryphon Rider]

I built the casket for my mother-in-law.  It cost about CAD$800, including the cost of a biscuit joiner I needed.  Less than half the cost of purchasing a fairly inexpensive one from the funeral service provider.

[CajunRider]

My wife's great aunt built her own coffin before she passed (she was a cloistered nun).  She did beautiful work... it was VERY impressive. 

She did say that the regulations for building it was absolutely insane (like it had to support 500 lbs even though she only weighed 90 lbs).  I don't know what she spent, but she said she could have done just as good a job (both structurally and looks) for half the money if it wasn't for the crazy amount of regulations she had to adhere to (and get it inspected). 

There's also a local monastery that sells coffins for less than $2,000.00 USD... I'm not sure how they do it, but my mother-in-law requested that we use them when the time comes in order to save money on her funeral.  She gave each of her kids a brochure from there with their offerings. 

[Alpha Dog]

still too much money for a coffin. I tell my wife i want cremated and my friends to load me into their shot shells, rifle rounds or whatever and shoot me. doubt that will happen though

I like that idea Gavin.  I hope your kids follow through with this.  For myself I have insisted I be taken up to the Au Sable River in Eastern Northern Michigan.  Then to be hoisted into the upper regions of a pine tree ( any nice tree will do ) and then strapped to the tree looking out over the river.   I also doubt this will happen.  Wife says it is illegal.

[old2soon]

In another time I hauled caskets to Funeral Homes from Chicago to the Eastern Seaboard. Learned a number of interesting things in that business. The mark up on caskets is Outrageous. They-Funeral directors-I M H O-take advantage of your grief. Mom and Dad old us-git us in the ground as cheaply as you can. You have to press a Funeral Home EXTREMLY hard to get them to show you the back room-the inexpensive-as compared to those out front-caskets that are available. Mom and Dad ended up in press board caskets that were cloth covered. About a 1/3 of the cost of the metal ones and about a tenth of the cost of a good wooden one. Personally my remains will be cremated and I'll be placed in a wall at the Springfield Missouri Veterans Cemetery.  Sorry for the dissertation. RIDE SAFE.

[Gryphon Rider]

still too much money for a coffin. I tell my wife i want cremated and my friends to load me into their shot shells, rifle rounds or whatever and shoot me. doubt that will happen though

I like that idea Gavin.  I hope your kids follow through with this.  For myself I have insisted I be taken up to the Au Sable River in Eastern Northern Michigan.  Then to be hoisted into the upper regions of a pine tree ( any nice tree will do ) and then strapped to the tree looking out over the river.   I also doubt this will happen.  Wife says it is illegal.

Make sure they put you in a clear glass urn, or it will be a wasted effort, and they probably won't hear you complaining to have it changed.

[Gavin_Sons]

still too much money for a coffin. I tell my wife i want cremated and my friends to load me into their shot shells, rifle rounds or whatever and shoot me. doubt that will happen though

I like that idea Gavin.  I hope your kids follow through with this.  For myself I have insisted I be taken up to the Au Sable River in Eastern Northern Michigan.  Then to be hoisted into the upper regions of a pine tree ( any nice tree will do ) and then strapped to the tree looking out over the river.   I also doubt this will happen.  Wife says it is illegal.

Make sure they put you in a clear glass urn, or it will be a wasted effort, and they probably won't hear you complaining to have it changed.

Zip lock bag would work well.  my ashes will be distributed to my closest friends my 2 brothers and my 2 kids and be instructed to hold a reloading party and load until the ashes are gone. Then these reloaded rounds will be used strictly for hunting. Everytime one of them kills an animal they will know I was part of it and still enjoying my time in the woods. My wife will probably just flush her share down the toilet. 

[Mr Whiskey]

I'm an organ donor,
hope it helps someone.
Doesn't matter after that,
I'm done with it

[Willow]

...
I'm done with it

Yeah, that's pretty much my position.  Do what you want with the empty shell.  I won't be in it any longer. 

[JimmyG]

Give yourself to science.

[cookiedough]

wife wants to be cremated as well but the way I see it,  more than likely I will go first so not having to deal with it, I hope....   

Is unreal though the cost of a basic casket and funeral expense.  Someone is making a killing - literally...   

buried dad in a so-so metal casket looked good in the pics but in person, so-so looking.  Mom could never decide on such things so me and my brother just picked one in the brochure.   It is in the ground so no one will see it anyways right?  Tough go that xmas being the day/night of xmas.  I woke up that morning feeling something was going to happen and after being there mid-day in the hospital I had a feeling it wouldn't be long and I was right after my brother and his kids left visiting,  less than 1 hour later he stopped breathing on his own having my mom there as well needed to take her home.  I asked him if he needed more ice chips and BAM,  blank stare in his face all of a sudden.    Prior to that,   Dad was not his usual self as well just laying there with a blank look on his face like he knew it was coming but didn't want to worry mom and us.  One look at his urine bag being dark red/black I knew his system was shutting down or so I thought.  As well only a little over 1 month after his emergency pacemaker implant since had to rush him to the dr. dragging him into his car since could not walk,  his heartbeat was down to 32 beats per minute is all,  little did I know taking him in for a checkup that day.  Dr. would NOT let him leave stating his hearbeats are so low he could pass out at anytime and he did once he got into the room having to shock him to get his heart beating again right in front of my mom and me.  His eyes rolled in back of his head and sort of passed out that was a day I will never forget as well.  Very scary stuff indeed Dad never said much about his poor health ever since he was basically unable to work after age 55 being forced to retire after 3 spinal cord surgeries lost most of his feelings in his arms/legs. 

One month later my brothers wifes dad died as well unexpectedly.  His coffin was all wood and elaborate to the max.  Everyone there commented on how well the coffin looked, but to me over 10K for a casket is wasted money plus enough flowers all over to open up a floral shop.   

Next few years after,  my uncle died,  pretty poor.  He had a guy he knew make the casket out of cheap pine wood looked like something a high school shop class did poorly.  It was so bad the lid did not seal at the ceremony on gravesite was about 1 inch gap showing inside but I guess doesn't matter since is sealed in a vault as well underground right?  One of my uncles (his brother) asked the undertaker if he could seal the casket better and he said nothing can be done was homemade job and his wishes.

[Roidfingers]

A lot of states have laws that the death industry lobbied to get to make sure the consumers have to go through a funeral home in order for someone to be buried. Luckily, not here in Alabama. I have a small, very small plot of land that my brother=in-law gave me and I've instructed everyone to wrap me in a sheet and drop me 6 ft and be done with it. As long as you own the land you can be buried in it. Only cost is gas for the backhoe and my brother-in-laws time. 

[RP#62]

I think my old man used to buy cars just so he could dicker over the price.  When he went to buy burial plots for him and my mom, the negotiations began.  They tried to sell him this one plot which was a little more than the others and when he asked why it cost more, they said it had a beautiful view of this old oak tree.  My dad said what, of the roots?  So anyway, they went back and forth and finally came to a deal and shook on it.  Then they started talking about the taxes and additional charges and my dad said BS, we shook on a price, you eat the taxes and additional charges.  They said they couldn't do that so dad got up and started to walk out and they reluctantly agreed.  My mom said the funeral guy was so pissed off when they left, she said they'll probably bury her when she goes, but they'll just throw my old man in the bay.

-RP