If the escalating cost of stocking up on meat for a weekend braai is enough to send you to in the direction of an early grave be forewarned – funerals are also becoming more pricey in South Africa.

Statistics South Africa has done an analysis of things that got more expensive in the country between August 2016 and August 2017‚ and more specifically by 6% or more.

The number-crunching exercise is the flipside of their recent look at what prices dropped during 2017‚ such as the ones for rusks‚ vegetables‚ fruit‚ household appliances and furniture.

“The annual inflation rate for meat climbed to 15% in August 2017‚ which is the highest it has been since December 2011. A juicy beef fillet would have set you back R194 per kilogram‚ up from R173 in August last year. Over the same period the average price of a kilogram of beef mince rose by 13.2% (from R68 to R77)‚ and the annual inflation rate for mutton loin chops was 17%‚” said StatsSA.

Apart from meat‚ other food and drink items with prices above target inflation in August 2017 included sugar‚ sweets and desserts (8.1%)‚ hot beverages (mainly tea and coffee) (7.5%)‚ and spirit coolers and ciders (8.1%).

“Medical insurance (medical aid) was above target at 10.3%‚ as were doctors (6.5%)‚ dentists (6.3%) and medicines (7.2%). All the main education related categories were above target‚ namely primary and secondary school fees (7.6%)‚ tertiary education fees (6.2%) and university boarding fees (8.5%)‚” said StatsSA.

Taking ill is also‚ broadly speaking‚ costing more with the escalation in doctors’ fees at 6.5%‚ the cost of medication up by 7.2%‚ dentists’ fees up by 6.3% as well as medical aid.

Package holidays were the chief culprit when it came to rising prices over the period in question‚ at 24.4%.

And funeral services increased by 12%. Explaining why this could be the case‚ Inland Region chair of the National Funeral Directors Association Mike Collinge said that fuel and labour were the items that mourners spent most on.

Collinge said‚ “We use big cars to move the coffin in. Families sometimes request up to four vehicles for the family‚ this is apart from a big bus they would also hire for the extended family to be transported in.”

“At the burial site‚ the family may want to have seating available as well as loudspeakers they may want to use. Some people go all out when it comes to funerals‚” said Collinge.

 He said families could reduce the costs of a funeral by choosing a coffin‚ for about R6‚500‚ as opposed to having a casket priced at around R30‚000.

“I have been at funerals where the guest count starts at 100 and by the time the caterers dish up‚ 500 people need to be fed. Mourning families don’t have to feed the entire suburb‚” he said.

 Head of Long-Term Insurance Propositions at Standard Bank Felix Kagura‚ urged people to be cautious when looking for funeral plans.

 “One policy may appear to be cheaper than another‚ but the benefits may be far less‚” Kagura said.

“To get more for their money‚ consumers should look for funeral plans that offer benefits over-and-above the lump sum payout. Some examples available in the market include grocery benefits and airtime benefits‚ all of which can help families cope with the loss of income caused by death of the main insured member‚” said Kagura.