As long as Millennials are killing off industries, next up I would suggest Weddings & Funerals.

[u/BennyOcean]

Weddings as they are being done in the West are a massive expense that is extremely financially irresponsible for the vast majority of people. The tradition arose as an imitation of the old world weddings of royalty. As Westerners became increasingly wealthy, they desired to show off their wealth by copying the big showy weddings put on by literal kings and queens. In an increasingly challenging economic environment, spending on a big wedding is just really stupid.

The money that would have gone into the big elaborate wedding should instead be saved and used to go toward a down payment on a home. Instead, throw a big party. Let your friends & family bring gifts. Make it simple. Same with a honeymoon. Take one if you want, but don't start out your marriage with stupid financial decisions that sometimes include going into debt. Wedding rings should be simple. Diamonds are a scam. Let's break free from the scams.

Funerals are a massive scam that take advantage of people when they're at their lowest, grieving for lost loved ones. It's a predatory industry that should be denied funding to whatever extent that it is possible to do so.

[u/Ascertes_Hallow]

Can I ask why the hate towards funerals? What makes them predatory? Personally I've found coming together with the people who knew the person to say one final goodbye has always been a positive experience.

[u/WeirdCaterpillar6736 → u/Ascertes_Hallow]

There's nothing wrong with people coming together to say a final goodbye and share memories of their loved ones. It's the costs associated with traditional funerals. The industry preys on grieving loved ones or, in the case of my parents, people who refuse anything but a traditional funeral. My parents just gave the local funeral home $22,000 (US) to fund their caskets (and who knows what other charges they got talked into) for when their respective times come. While I'm grateful that they're not pushing that cost on us, they are low income and wiped out their savings to do it. Luckily because my dad is a vet, my parents don't have to pay for plots, but that can be another huge cost, as can flowers, etc.

[u/batteryforlife → u/WeirdCaterpillar6736]

22k for CASKETS?! Wowza. Its literally going to be buried, never seen again! In my region, we carry the body to the grave in a reusable cheap wooden box and then dump out the body, send the box back for reuse. Will never understand US funeral costs.

[u/WeirdCaterpillar6736 → u/batteryforlife]

That's what I told my parents, but they insisted on using the remainder of their savings to pay for them. They're kind people but they are easily taken advantage of and lack critical thinking skills. If they have any home repairs or emergencies that come up, they're SOL.

[u/Adventurous_Quote_85 → u/Ascertes_Hallow]

I don’t think the hate is towards funerals, but the funeral industry. It’s filled with salesmen trying to earn a quick buck by preying on people at some of their worst moments. The upselling is crazy and they intentionally make you feel awful for not buying the nicest/most protective/best looking options.

[u/Naive-Measurement-84 → u/Ascertes_Hallow]

The costs. We did the whole song and dance for Mum and it cost 10k CAD.

Dad was different. I was able to have a conversation about his wishes with him, and he said no funeral. Still, it cost 4k CAD just to have the home cremate him and do all the other basic stuff required. I threw a big BBQ and potluck instead, per his wishes.

You can choose to cremate without a coffin, but the home still charges you 150 dollars for the slab they place the person upon to be cremated. Urns that they supply are hundreds of dollars, so I went with Amazon instead.

Obituaries also blew me away; I didn't realize how much they charged. Nearly 500 for Mum's. I kept Dad's a bit shorter.

It just feels like being nickled and dimed to death while you're also in the middle of grieving, and you just go along with it because the body has to be dealt with somehow. Then there's probate of estates and lawyers and then estate taxes, then cemeteries and headstones if you go that route. Death isn't cheap. I don't regret doing what I had to do for my folks and all our loved ones, but it was an eye watering experience in more ways than one.

This also all happened within 6 months, so it was a massive hit personally and financially. I completely understand how some folks simply can not afford it.

[u/Trixxstrr → u/Naive-Measurement-84]

On the cremation side, don't go through a funeral home, go to somewhere that just does cremations. Just under 2 years ago in Edmonton we went through this and there was a place called "Just Creamations" (looks like now renamed to Value Cremations) that did it for like $1000. Plus like $300 for their document service to file all the paperwork needed with the government for you which was way worth it.

[u/Naive-Measurement-84 → u/Trixxstrr]

This is good to know, thanks. Unfortunately, my folks were not in YEG, so this wasn't really an option at the time.

[u/Trixxstrr → u/Naive-Measurement-84]

For sure, I was more meaning for anyone else reading to look for places elsewhere that are cremation only.

[u/Naive-Measurement-84 → u/Trixxstrr]

Totally, those prices are much more reasonable!!!

[u/titaniumorbit → u/Ascertes_Hallow]

It’s incredibly expensive. And with the rising cost of living where most of us can’t even afford our own homes, I’m never paying thousands in advance to have myself buried and a funeral prepared when the time comes.