A bit bored today, and dont want to turn TV on as I heard Willy is marrying Kate and I have a sensitive tummy. I'm about to go to work but something just occurred to me as I was thinking about how much to give for a wedding present.

If a family member passes away such as a MIL am I right in assuming that as the wealthiest family member I would have to totally fund the funeral and then recoup something from the envelopes. Some of the funerals I have been to all the local bigwigs come plus many monks, I'm sure they all get a present, then there is food, grog, flowers, band, coffin, sometimes fireworks and I'm sure other things as well, it must be a substantial amount anyone got a ballpark on that.

Dont get me wrong I hope she can go on and on, she seems as tough as an old boot. They dont know for sure how old she is but the ID says 84.

Probably doesn't apply to many Farangs here, most are likely to be years older than the mother in law and she'll be at their funeral.

No, its up to her spouse or children to arrange the funeral, though you may be asked to help defray the cost, but dont expect any money you contribute to be returned.

In a lot of cases there insured which doesn't cost at lot, my Mama is still going at 86years but her second from eldest son died, my Mrs has the whole family insured for a 100,000 baht each and when her brother died it cost 60,000 she paid 30,000 towards the amount and binned the rest in her account, usually the costs are calculated on the amount of days it goes on for, in my case she said l get one day.

I posted an answer to this exact same question a few weeks ago.

Is the MIL upcountry, if so she is probably in some sort of village fund scheme that covers these things.

But dont expect the Thais to tell you this.

If you want to see another face of Thai temples go visit half a dozen or so in your local area and compare the quotes you are given.

The funeral I was at in Nakorn Nayork was 20,000 for everything.

Face is great when someone else is paying for it.

A few bottles of Sang Som, a deck of cards, and a bottle of petrol should cover it.

My girlfriend is also insured for the inevitable and my GF and myself are the same age so if and when it does happen we are covered.

There is a thing in the contract that if her mother lives until she is 80 then she recieves a lump sum back, but money isn't everything .

How much to dig a hole and throw the corpse in?? or is that illegal in Thailand?

Probably doesn't apply to many Farangs here, most are likely to be years older than the mother in law and she'll be at their funeral.

Maybe you spend too much time in Pattaya ?

The cost depends on how long you want the monks to chant according to my wife, 3- 4 or 5 nights, for three nights it use to be about 6000baht, plus food and drink.

The village insurance thing was cancelled a few years ago, I'm not sure whether it was because she became too old for it, some family members are still paying into it, It seems to me that if someone dies they have to put in so much, not like insurance in advance more like in retrospect. Most every funeral I have seen here goes for the first day, body home or at the temple in casket, monks chant at night, second day monks chant morning and night (I think, I get too bored and so dont stay), third day chant morning, burn afternoon after more chanting and bigwigs giving gifts to monks

I wasn't aware of the optional number of days or temple location, and I wouldn't have been too confident of getting any money personally back from envelopes but I think the missus would, wouldn't she, and I would just be keeneo for a few weeks to offset my outlays getting her to pay for stuff that I normally pay for.

How much to dig a hole and throw the corpse in?? or is that illegal in Thailand?

No Thai would accept this; the spirit would still be around to haunt them (I know you don't believe in ghosts, but they do). When a friend of mine died, I was asked "Have you burnt him yet?" to free his spirit so that it doesn't hang around the place where he died.

Village funerals vary from a few thousand baht to 250,000-300,000 for a matriarch (I've never had any connection with the funeral of a patriarch, so I don't know if he gets the same send-off). Smart children insure their parents' lives to ensure they have the money for the funeral.