Within your email programs inbox folder you can create sub- folders ( aka sub-directories ). Each sub-folder can be given a unique name for each of the companies whose bills you want to keep track of or for any other regular correspondence that you want to separate from the incoming spam.
Most mail reader programs enable you to create “filter” rules that will place each incoming mail as it arrives into a folder that you specify automatically. The rules are executed in an order that you specify from first rule to last rule. The last rule in your list of rules can place “all other” email not flagged by a rule into a folder named for example “spam”.
After reviewing all the mail in your spam folder of course, you can then delete the whole spam folder with a single click of your mouse.
Your mail reader should also have a calendar anbd a task manager that will send you reminders to pay your bills on some “schedule” like the first of every month or every N days etc. You can even ask it to send repeated reminders in advance of the due date and continue to send reminders after the due date until you mark the task done ( ie you paid the bill )
You don’t have to set the whole set of rules up at once either. You can set it up as you go adding refinements until you develop a set of rules that suit your habits.
Modern electronic bill paying will enable you to print your own hard-copy of the bill if you desire or you can save a pdf copy of your receipt on your local hard-drive or a cloud hard-drive, or both. Most receipts have a Q-code or barcode as proof of payment.
I’ve had my bills set up for electronic payments for decades.
You can create a series of filters that place your mail in sub-folders for you convenience based upon the email senders address and or any number of other criteria that you select.
It is really quite easy to set up.
Use your favorite search engine to find instructions for your email reader on how to set it up. The instructions on line will walk you through it.
I set up rules to forward my email that I encrypt with PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) from my ISP to a third party email providers like google or yahoo etc just to have back up copies in-case my computer fails or is stolen, suffers from a fire or other natural disaster or (God forbid) another IRS audit.
You can slowly build up a pretty good, and reliable system for handling your correspondence with a small investment of time.
I may ease into a system whereby I stop getting the “in the mail” bills and start doing more online. As you’ve noted, I can always print the bills. Maybe with just one bill to start.
I did email billing once a decade ago and ended up getting my cable shut off because I hadn’t noticed the bill. I get probably 20-30 emails a day and I don’t take the time to go through them. About half are from the RNC requesting money (he$$ no, traitors!).
But perhaps I’ll start with one bill that I know about. I already have my online banking set to warn me by text message, when a bill is coming due.
Old habits are hard to break - I used to use a manual spreadsheet to track bills - when they came in the mail, I’d write them on the spreadsheet with the due date, then use that as my system to write checks (sometimes “floating” them a day or two in the mail, such was my financial situation at the time) and mail them just prior to the due date.
The spreadsheet eventually went to the computer, and then to quicken, and now I use moneydance. I always have kept a ledger of some sort, dating back to when every single half hour of overtime was tracked. Oddly, I have co-workers that don’t even track their paycheck every 2 weeks. I mean, must be nice to not have to worry about money. Granted, I’m in a lot better shape financially than I was 30-40 years ago, but still...