SDF Blogs

Death is scary – well it can be for many people; even the thought of it. We don’t really like talking about death.  It is foreign and something most people don’t have to deal with often.  However you might be

I’ve said this before – I got into the funeral business because I saw two things I thought I could do better than what was on offer. The first was to reduce the high prices families paid who just wanted

I don’t know how many people have started or succeeded in running a small business.  I never thought I would – but here I am – over three years later and still going strong. One of the reasons I started

The Five Stages of Grief I don’t think anyone likes grief.  It’s draining and emotional and just plain upsetting.  However grief plays an incredibly important role in our life.  And although it can be painful, even unbearable, grief’s role is

The loses we are seeing or experiencing in New Zealand at the moment are massive.  So how do we cope with loss?  Especially when we don’t feel like coping. Our hearts go out to the families who have lost homes,

This life we live is full of uncertainty.  For example, we know all too well how the weather one day can change everything.  And there are so many other things that might arise –  lost employment or business, health, a

My experience with Maori funerals is incredibly limited.  So this is simply some of the things I discovered for myself. But first I should go back to how I first encountered a funeral.  Like most people it was a grandparent

The cost of living is on the news a lot and probably in the minds of many families in New Zealand and also overseas.  The essentials at the supermarket, petrol and most things continue to rise and the government and

Is it possible to do a funeral yourself… well not for yourself, but for someone else – usually a family member? The thought is that there is definite cost saving benefits by doing this and if the funeral is a

Here are the dogs of SDF.  They are basically unpaid employees with very limited ability – besides barking at people every now and then. Holly has been with me from the beginning and is the most snuggliest of dogs –

Simple Direct Funerals started because people who wanted a very simple “no-fuss” funeral were still paying a lot of money.  Far more than was fair.  So we focused on providing only simple and low-cost funerals. The issue some people have

In many ways 2022 flew by. Maybe that’s just old age catching up to me. For the armchair sports fan the woman’s rugby world cup final has to be a highlight.  Also the football world cup final was pretty special

It is a well known reality that funerals can cost a lot of money – the budget blowout.  Even when people wanted the simplest cheapest funeral there was still a lot to pay at the end.  Part of the reason

15 things Funeral Homes don’t want you to know  1.  Don’t pay in advance for a funeral. Yes, you can pre-plan. But keep your money in a separate bank account. This way you are in complete control of it. You

For a long time the cost of a funeral was not something funeral companies promoted much.  There was a simple reason for this – making money.  Without knowing exactly what a funeral costs the family can easily be hit with