I completely understand now why it is so common for people to take food over to a family who is handling funeral arrangements.
They forget to eat. Or they don’t have time to cook.
My father-in-law, who lived in Toledo, died a week ago. His memorial service was held Sunday, family graveside visit took place Monday.
Amid working [...]

One of my duties for the print edition of The Monroe Evening News is to work on the obituaries. I’ve written obituaries at every newspaper I’ve worked at since 1986, and I’ve seen a lot of changes in the wording and rituals during the years.
The biggest shift is that obituaries have moved away from reporter [...]

Some of you readers heard what’s going on in my family because of emails or word of mouth. Others have been puzzled, I’m sure, by what I posted Tuesday night and this morning.
Here’s what is going on: my father-in-law died unexpectedly on Tuesday.
My husband, his sister, and their mother – accompanied on occasion by me [...]

My “day job” is on the social desk at The Monroe Evening News in Monroe, Mich. Those responsibilities include working on the obituaries.
Those of us who handle obituaries have noticed a big shift in burial practices in southeast Michigan during the past couple of years. Local families are listing more budget-friendly arrangements such as cremation, [...]

Most of my readers are from southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio, and are  familiar with the tragic story that has been unfolding in Monroe, Mich., during the past two weeks. Some of you national readers are also aware of the story.
Nevaeh Buchanan, a 5-year-old who lived in Monroe, was noticed missing from her apartment complex [...]

This post is aimed at my local readers in Monroe County, Mich., but my national readers might find it useful too:
One of the funeral expenses that families have quite a bit of control over are the obituary publication fees.
The way you do that is to limit how much information goes into the obituary – versus [...]

CNN has this report today: More people opting for cremation to manage funeral costs.
A snippet:
Industry insiders say more people are economizing on funerals by cutting back on elements such as limousines, wakes and embalming – and opting for cremations rather than burials.
“Let’s face it, passing away is not a choice,” said John Chasca, president of [...]

My husband and I are quite “old school” about certain things, and one of them is the “one good suit rule.”
Should there be a wedding, a funeral, Christmas Eve Mass, Easter Sunday services, or other event for which good manners and old school tradition would call for suit and tie / dress or skirt, [...]

This post is part of my Downsized Budget series. For an introduction and links, go to The Downsized Budget: How and Where to Cut Back.
In the Crown Financial Ministries household budget plan, the insurance expense category includes life, health, vision, dental and disability insurance premiums. It doesn’t include homeowner’s or auto insurance, or out-of-pocket medical [...]

The Detroit Free Press has this report today: No-fuss funerals – many opt to cut frills as the cost of dying skyrockets.
A snippet:
In a growing number of cases, local medical examiners are reporting that some families can’t even afford to claim their loved ones’ remains. Many more … are now planning do-it-yourself home funerals. Also, [...]

My husband, daughter and I have lived in Monroe, Mich., for eight years. But we are originally from northwest Ohio, and most of our family and long-time friends still live in that area.
And so, this is one of those posts where my story takes place in Ohio.
Last week, a long-time family friend, Sandusky County Sheriff [...]

It’s very common in Monroe County that when someone is facing medical expenses or funeral expenses beyond their immediate means to pay, that a relative or friend will sponsor a benefit fundraiser.
Be sure to research the Monroe County Health Department requirements for food permits as soon as you start planning your event. If you do [...]

My uncle Bill, who was my godfather, died of cancer on July 11 in Ohio. He was not married, and had no children. The “next of kin” were my parents, my grandfather, two brothers and many nieces and nephews.
Bill had been ill for a long time. There had been recent discussions about Bill closing out [...]

My husband and I are pretty old-fashioned on some things, including appropriate appearance at formal functions.
It’s our “one good suit” rule. No matter what you wear at work or at home on a daily basis, the concept is to keep one good formal suit in your wardrobe at all times, along with appropriate shirts and [...]

Topics such as life insurance, wills, retirement plans, disability insurance, renters or homeowners insurance, household inventories, estate planning, picking a cemetery plot and other long-term issues aren’t just for people of means.
Those of us who run our households on smaller budgets have far more critical reasons to plan long-term, because one disaster or mistake in [...]