NZFF

I want to make a simpsons/futurama/family guy style cartoon what program(s) do I need or should I use?

Sorry Kelburn I should have answered your question when you first posted it.
Animators use a variety of programmes to create animations.
I don't know what your level of ability is in this field but I would start with something like Adobe Flash.
http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/

Cartoons like Family Guy, The Simpsons, Futurama etc use a programme called "ToonBoom".
Which bare in mind is a big expensive commercial programme and is a steep learning curve.

In my opinion I would use flash if I was you, its pretty easy to learn (if you don't know it already).
I think you can pick up a student version for pretty cheap to.

Che

I'm (sort-of) trying out Blender which is a free 3D animator but haven't done much on it lately.

Yeah Blender is pretty good as far as free 3D programmes are concerned. I think you can get rendering engines for blender, that render the animations in 2D (Cell Rendering) if you wanted a 2D look.
If you learned a commercial 3D programme like 3ds Max then you could not only create good animations, but you could use it to create Flightsim Addons!

What about the Free BoomToon edition for home use etc.?

Try here: http://www.toonboom.com/downloads/

Toonboom is not really orientated for home use, its orientated towards big animation studios and creative professionals (e.g. Disney)
Flash is more for home use (as well as commercial)

just use paint