More and more Brits are foregoing funerals as the cost of living crisis robs families of the chance to say goodbye to loved ones.
Many undertakers are now offering no-frills send-offs dubbed 'Direct Cremations' for £1,500.
The body is cremated without a service and the ashes are returned to loved ones with the lower cost option rising in popularity in the past few years.
Some online companies are also currently advertising them from just £995 and thousands are taking advantage.
The average cost of a basic funeral may have dropped for the first time in 18 years, but it is predicted to rise again.
The Cost of Dying report by insurer SunLife found it fell 3.1% to an average of £4,056 in 2022.
But with the the crippling cost of living crisis leaving millions desperate to cut costs, that is still too high.
The number of people selecting a direct cremation in the UK has risen dramatically over the past couple of years, first sparked by the pandemic with funerals services outlawed as the deadly virus raged.
In 2018, just 2 per cent opted for the budget funeral.
Three years later, that number had risen to 18 per cent and it could rise further will so many struggling as bills continue to rise.
One of those is Janet Jones, 70, from Attleborough, Norfolk.
She says she is considering booking one for herself and her husband as she doesn't want their children's inheritance to be eaten away at.
She says she wants her family to go on holiday and have a drink to celebrate their lives with the money instead.
"We've worked all our lives and we want our children to have that money to do something to remember us in their own way," she told the BBC.
But her family aren't sold and Janet's daughter Bridie said: "Because of their age I thought they would go down a traditional route. There are so many people who love them who want to say goodbye properly.
"They are so selfless and they don't want us to be burdened with massive funeral costs. It's what they want and I have to respect that and accept it. I just need to get my head around it."
Funeral directors say there has been an increase in demand due to the cost of living crisis as some families have found the cost of funerals difficult to cover.
"Funerals are still relatively expensive, and half of people arranging a funeral in the last year looked for ways to keep funeral costs down - including choosing a cheaper coffin, spending less on flowers and having the wake at home," said Mark Screeton, chief executive of SunLife.
But Funeral director Frances Alcock admits to concern that more firms are starting up without much experience of funerals.
"My biggest concern is the lack of support for the family members who are trying to grieve. It worries me that there might be unresolved grief with these direct cremations bought online," said the former nurse, who owns Opals Funerals in Hedgerley, Buckinghamshire.
"It's really important that people understand what direct cremations involve - you do not get a chance to say goodbye unless you sort out your own service.
"I get phone calls because they are national firms looking to outsource parts of the business, like collecting the bodies from hospital, and they are often transported across the country."
