RE: Uncertainty, death in the family, and a plea for help.
Hindsight: Arrange to donate body to science (university) before you die and save costs.
How much is the cremation bill? This is a price I've never heard. I know a recent funeral cost $20,000 for a coffin, burial plot & funeral service.
Often people are very reluctant to talking about this matter ahead of time which puts the advantage in the court of the funeral director.
In my earlier days I decided that I wanted to have a life-sized cardboard cutout of me at my funeral service so people could get a picture with me one last time. I ran for public office 6 times until I became convinced that anarchy is the true way.
Oh, and you might research A4V (Accepted for Value). This is a way to write a banker's style endorsement on the bill you receive and send it to the US Treasury so they assume the debt on your behalf. It's the result of US House Joint Resolution 192 from 1933 when Roosevelt ordered people to sell their gold to the government cheap, then devalued the currency. People had to have a remedy to pay off their debts. Probably wouldn't work with a funeral bill but might work with tax bills, court fines, bills, etc...
Lastly, there is a way to cancel loans. Recission is the word. A particular type in the US under the truth in lending law. I'll do a video about it and steem it out. I actually got TransUnion to remove my foreclosure from my credit report by showing that I had rescinded the loan before the foreclosure completed which voids the loan, requires the bank to give you back all of your payments, convey the deed of the house back to you. The bank's only recourse is to sue within 20 days to invalidate your rescission. The banks can't prove they loaned you the money because there is no source for the funds (called table funding) so they don't counter sue. Now this rarely gets you anywhere because the judges are messed up in the head and think that banks have standing in a court of law and perhaps don't realize that banks invent the credit they lend for every loan they issue.
But doing this with Transunion bounced my credit rating up dramatically, up about 40 points in one month. The other credit rating agencies didn't follow suit though.
You are correct, Joe. Most people do not now that the US is a corporation, and that is why your name is spelled in all capitol letters on your birth certificate and drivers license. One piece of advice I always give people is to know where a stream or river is and buy and use a cast net and fishing gear. Also get some tools and know how to use them. being able to fix your own car and repair things for others is an easy way to make quick cash. Having a quality voltmeter is a good thing too, for troubleshooting electrical problems, and keep your tools safe and protected and never ever pawn or sell them.