I partially sympathise about shredding old paperwork, or otherwise disposing of it, but it bumps up against the hoarding instinct I may have mentioned somewhere hereabouts before. To the point: We had, erm, Discussions recently with Thames Water* over the fact that our bill was estimated, as a result of which they deigned to inform us that the meter reading we phoned in was the same as in 2021, and that they collectively had known that the meter had been broken for five years. We couldn't trace that ourselves, as Darling Daughter† had gone off on one about having to declutter our paperwork once we go castors-up, and Herself made the mistake of listening and downsizing as instructed.

Only when making up the front-room fire a few weeks later did I discover some of the old bills piled at the side with the newspapers, waiting to be used as tinder. Happily, by then we didn't need the hard-copy evidence.

* That's right: that shower.

† Fondly known as Baggage, for reasons which need not detain us here.