Finances - Software Question Etc.

I've been working on improving our financial management, after we bought the house things in that department fell apart. So I've been tracking our expenses to get some baseline information. I've been doing it on an excel spreadsheet. I've looked at several online budgeting tools- mint and wesabe. All of the tools want me to enter my banking information- accounts etc. I think this is crazy. Just crazy. Why on earth would I trust that these folks aren't going to get hacked? Or that they won't have a criminal employee? It doesn't seem safe. And yet the NYT and various other sites tout these places as good ways to manage money. Am I just paranoid and an old fuddy duddy about this? I have to wonder if they are that much better than the excel sheet, as well.

I get really frustrated with suggestions for austerity I find in online articles. I need suggestions that reflect an all ready (by necessity) frugal lifestyle. Suggesting I cook more and get meal budgets under five dollars a person is ridiculous when I generally keep things well under three dollars and I cook all the time. Also, they always suggest cutting cable. I've never had cable. I make decisions about whether or not I really need X prescription medication or if I should really buy that bottle of cheap wine (and a while back I tracked our grocery expenses- it actually makes the most sense to cut out cheese and switch to frozen veg rather than fresh rather than kill our very minimal booze consumption to reduce our expenses). I guess expecting advice found in conventional media to be relevant to me is asking a bit much.

ETA: This is the one site I've found to be helpful, its really great.
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/

Oh, when oh when will Newt go away!?

Oh boy. I really need to just quit with the NPR. Really. They talk about discontent with politicians, well, I'm all about throwing the journalists out. The way the fallout has been covered, and how they let Newt speak without comment at all, the majority of journalists (especially at NPR) deserve to see the door flap behind them.

Newt Gingrich, you see, thinks that all the inappropriate insults, threats, spitting on etc. that the democrats have been receiving is the democrats fault. Yup. Blame the victim. Its all their fault for using "shady" tactics and ramming the legislation through. Um, dude, your party is the one that had a speaker nicknamed "The Hammer" and your party used the exact same tactics. Yes, I have said some nasty things about Newt, but I didn't march over and spit on him. Hell, I had a really good opportunity to spit on Paul Wolfowitz and I didn't do it. Come on. The journalists need to stand up and call the Republicans on this nonsense. And they aren't. They can't even attach racism to the Tea Party, when its screaming at them.

I think its time for some counter protest. But oh, that probably wouldn't be covered. Because you know how liberal the media is... sigh. And, I'm So Very Tired of Mr. Newt. I've been railing against him for almost half my life- literally. Enough. Go away Newt! Go far away! Retire to the Bermudas and take a vow of silence. I don't care why or how but Go Away! Please!