I carry an Excel file in the encrypted memory of my BlackBerry. I use the same relatively easy password for many accounts that carry little risk if hacked into. For more important things I use more complex passwords.

Never, ever use your email password for any other purpose since it is usually a common thread to everything else. For example, if somebody hacks into a web merchant account and gets your email address, it would be very bad if that website password allowed them to log into your email account as well. Then they could do a lot of damage.