Password managers are the tech solution to a simple problem, but centralize the point of failure. If the password manager DB is hacked, then guess what?

Meanwhile a far less risk-prone and much easier solution is at hand: use a salt.

Here's how it works: you create a memorable keyphrase, for example myphrase007isgreat. You now use this keyphrase for every password you need, except... you salt it. Then all you need to do is to store the salt info in plain text, because it will be meaningless to anyone who sees it - except you.

Let's say I want to use myphrase007isgreat for my bank account. So I create the salt 2,-3. This means I increment the first character by 2 places so that m is transformed into 0. The next character is transposed back 3 places so that the e is transformed into b. Next, by the same logic the p becomes r and the h becomes e. The great thing is that unlike many cyphers, there's no regularity so it's impossible to identify proxies for common letters and thus crack the code. Meanwhile, anyone who gets hold of your salt text just sees "my bank, 2,-3" which won't help them at all - provided you never, ever, write down your keyphrase. Any why would you, when it's easily memorized?

Salts are under-used but far cheaper and safer and easier than password vaults.