We comparison shop for appliances and clothes. We hunt down bargains whenever we need a new car or home repairs. But when it comes to funerals, all of our normal consumer savvy can disappear.

Shopping for funeral services is not an everyday thing — thankfully — so most people generally have little knowledge about what is involved and what prices are reasonable. In the midst of grieving, it can be difficult to muster the will to search out the best deal. In fact, the very idea of quibbling over price can be emotionally fraught, making it difficult to be financially sensible — a fact some businesses use to their advantage.

“You need to get rid of the idea that questioning costs is cheap and somehow means you didn’t love your mother,’’ says Joshua Slocum, executive director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance in Vermont.

To make sure funeral planning does not add money woes to your emotional ones, it is important to start with a budget, Slocum says. Just as you would when shopping for a car or home, know how much you can spend, and stick to it.

To aid this process, get quotes from several funeral homes. Too often, people simply default to whatever business other relatives have used, Slocum says. Taking the effort to make a few phone calls, however, can yield significant savings. If your plan does not include any services at the funeral home itself, consider a search radius of up to 30 miles, he suggests — more options make it more likely you’ll find a price to fit your budget.

Next, be clear on what is legally required: almost nothing. A physician or medical examiner must sign a death certificate, but after that there are few, if any, legal requirements for the handling of a body, Slocum says.

In most cases, bodies can be cremated or buried without being embalmed. If a funeral director claims or implies that certain services are legally required, demand to see a copy of the law in question, Slocum recommends.

“Nine out of 10 times, there’s no such law,’’ he says.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to a reasonably priced funeral is the general discomfort many people have dealing with death. But overcoming that unease can make the process easier both financially and emotionally.

Have a consumer question or complaint? Reach Sarah Shemkus at seshemkus@gmail.com.