I use multiple profiles. It is important for online play. When you use in game chat it uses your profile name not the character's name. So if you want to RP you will need to create a profile with the same name as the character.
I know this isn't what you had in mind. But I find it keeps my saves tidy.
I dont know how many characters you have or how many saves you have per character. I delete all the auto saves and have about 4 'rolling saves' per character.
