My PC sadly won't run itSadly the best way to optimize your experience is probably to play on PC.
I figured that was the case (love your avatar by the way).One of the biggest problems of that game (and some other Bethesda titles) on the PS3 is the save data too. The more you play,the larger your save data gets (all the items you get, all the decisions, etc) and it can get to the point where the game becomes unplayable. Apparently the quick save (resting) and auto-saves aren't affected.
The best advice I can give you is to rely mostly on auto-save and try to focus mostly on story quests to try to keep your save lean.