[Jemian]

I have used Front Page for many years. Like you I wanted something which would allow for easier updating.

I switched to drupal 7.

It is open-source, flexible and very easy to update.

WP shouldn’t cost you 3k to set-up.

[Errant]

I second the Drupal recommendation. It's really gaining ground and you'd be amazed at who all are using it!