If you can afford it - an iPhone or an iPad!!!! Seriously.
Maybe just go to an Apple store and check one out. I am really big on user interface and intuitive use, and Apple has hit it out of the park in this area. I always have my iPhone, which means I always have my grocery list. I track my periods. I take miscellaneous notes. I save websites I want to look at later.
On the computer, I use Microsoft OneNote, which is also a very simple program and really easy to stay organized. Nothing has to be saved: you type it in, and it's there. It's also really easy to move stuff around and link information together.
I know this solution is pretty much everything you said you didn't want, but if you get the urge to try a different direction... get an iPad!
I say this as someone who has always been a terrible note taker and has trouble staying organized. OneNote changed my life.