The widow of a deceased husband whose estate is administered, whether the husband died intestate or not, shall be in all cases, without regard to the debts or claims against the estate, except funeral expenses, entitled to an allowance as her exclusive and sole property, of a certain amount of property, usually named by the statute; it consists generally in the family pictures, wearing apparel, jewels and ornaments of herself and children, school books, sewing machine, cooking utensils, household furniture, and other property depending upon the clauses of the several statutes. This is known as the Widow's Award and must be set aside and given to her before any of the debts and other charges against the estate are paid. It is permissible for the widow to take in lieu of the specific property allotted to her by statute a sum of money, the amount usually being regulated by the statute, and is always equivalent to the value of the property which she would have received had she not required the payment of her award in cash. The failure of the widow to renounce, or not to renounce, the benefits of a provision of a will, made for her, does not in any way affect her right to require the granting of her award.