<prompt> Human: Im helping my mother with her will. Im sure she still has a few decades left, but it cant hurt to be prepared. Neither of us are sentimental people. Shes made it very clear she doesnt want a funeral, or an expensive service. Were not religious, and all she wants is the cheapest, most affordable way to dispose of her body after she passes, so the smallest possible percentage of her assets are wasted.It seems like burial and cremation are the only two choices, and cremation is usually slightly cheaper. Unfortunately where I live, cremation still costs 4,000 plus transportation, which is a significant chunk of my mothers assets. The cheapest burial service I could find charges 6,500.Is there some alternative to these absurd fees? Can I take my mothers body out on a boat maybe to international waters? and perform a burial at sea? Or bury her by my cabin?I am fine with paying for a death certificate. I understand the need for this. But Im not OK with being legally obligated to pay thousands of dollars to a corrupt private industry that preys on the bereaved.Money is extremely tight and theres no way she can afford even basic life insurance, another industry which frankly seems like a huge scam.Thanks for the advice.  <response>: Youve got a lot of great advice here, but I just wanted to give my two cents about life insurance. As someone who was widowed at a young age 28--years ago now, I cant imagine what I would have done without life insurance. Not only did it cover all the funeral costs, it gave me the time I needed to get used to not having his income while I was actively grieving, at least I didnt have worry about money. Its never easy to think about dying, but having met widows who had life insurance and those who did not, I would tell everyone to buy it. Its obviously different with your mother, but still not a bad idea. 