On April 1, Clark saw a Washington Post article that he thought for sure was a put-on.

In our continuing saga of bailouts, the funeral industry is now asking for its own bailout. "We recognized that there may be a situation where a lot of folks who were displaced or unemployed might need some help in paying for their funerals," a lobbyist for the National Funeral Directors Association said in the report. "We had some preliminary discussions about providing some stimulus payments to the states [for funerals.]"

But this is no April Fools' Day joke.

The funeral industry is crying the blues because they're being hit with a double-whammy in these tough economic times.

First, death rates actually go down in a recession -- despite all the anxiety and angst people feel. So many premature deaths are road accidents, and when people don't have a job to go to (or money to spend), they tend to stay off the roads.

Second, people are shelling out less money for funerals. They're trading down in terms of caskets, floral arrangements, food and more.

The truth is you can reduce the cost of a funeral by 75% with a little pre-planning. In most states, you can join a non-profit memorial society that entitles you to group-buying power. That means you get a lower cost for your services.

For example, Clark's membership means he would pay $1,900 for a full funeral and burial (vs. the average cost of $8,000) or $995 for a cremation.

A lifetime membership to a local non-profit memorial society usually runs somewhere between $30 and $45. Log on to Funerals.org to find one near you.