Don’t spend more than you have to! It’s easy for casket companies and funeral homes to bamboozle clients into forking over more cash than necessary; most people agree that it feels somehow wrong, in or poor taste, to bargain-hunt when it comes to funeral expenses. But unless you have the financial resources to go all out, it can be beneficial and money-saving to shop around. Think of it this way: you wouldn’t make any other major purchase without trying to get the best price. Would you buy a house, or a car, or a boat, without trying to negotiate its price? Probably not. So why just accept paying full-price for funeral expenses? There is absolutely nothing morally or socially wrong with trying to find a bargain. Call or visit a minimum of two or three funeral homes, and get a breakdown of their cost for services. Calculate what each service costs hourly. “If you will be paying more than $100 an hour,” says the Funeral Consumers Alliance, “you’ve got a high-priced mortuary.”