Little did Orla Cusack know a phone call and support from a friend would kickstart her social media journey. For 17 years, Orla served as a Garda, but she became a content creator accidently. We caught up with her about all things savvy shopping, the challenges she faced and everything that is yet to come. Keep reading to discover more….
If you told Orla Cusack ten years ago that she would have 575,000 eyes on her social media accounts, she “would have said, ‘you're talking about somebody else’ because [she admits that she] never once in [her] life did something like this come into [her] head”. Orla’s life took a 180 when her friend Clodagh rang her with an idea. “Clodagh came up with the idea of both of us starting on social media, I had zero plans before she gave me the push!”, Orla admits.
Whilst navigating this new world of social media Orla encountered a new challenge. The technical side of things was a mountain she needed to climb, but she has “a fabulous lady behind [her], Sinead from ‘Mini Media’, who looks after the back end of the website for [her]. Anything that I can't do myself or that I'm not an expert in, I'll ask an expert for help”.
“I had a private Instagram account with two pictures on it that a different friend uploaded for me because I didn't know how to upload it”, Orla reflects. After a weekend spent with Clodagh, they together formed Practical and Precious - a website helping women shop smarter, save money and get more value from everyday life.
“Clodagh and I started Practical and Precious together on social media. Clodagh looked after the fashion and styling side, while I focused on practical tips. Clodagh then started her styling business full time and I kept going with Practical and Precious. The page then developed into the Practical and Precious you see today”, Orla explains.
Now Orla has fully taken the reins on the venture and has lived in Connemara for the past 20 years with her husband and their two teenage children. Originally, Practical and Precious was a hobby for Orla, and one day she had a “viral reel that gained 25,000 new followers and then [she] had another one and another one and before [she] knew it [she] was at 200,000 followers”. This made Orla wonder if this was just a hobby anymore or was she ready to “take this seriously”.
In January 2025, Orla decided she was going to give it a year and see how she got on with this as a business, and it’s been going from strength to strength and constantly reaching new heights. This experience has filled a creative hole that Orla didn’t know existed. She admits, “if you asked me before, ‘are you a creative person’, I would have said ‘not at all’. All of this gave me the fulfilment I did not know I needed”.
“Now, as my husband says, he's never seen me happier because I constantly have these ideas and these creative things and I have an outlet for it all now. If it all ended tomorrow, I would still be doing it because I absolutely love what I am doing”, Orla adds.
When Orla retired from the Gardaí, she felt a huge change. “We became a one income family, we had to cut our cloth to suit our measure, so I became far more organised about grocery shopping. I started checking what we already had in the fridge, freezer and cupboards, planning meals around it and paying closer attention to what we genuinely needed”.
“Our weekly grocery bill had risen to approximately €200 to €250. I noticed increases across practically everything, but particularly meat, dairy products, eggs and potatoes. The frightening part was that these weren’t extravagant purchases. They were basic foods and family essentials”, Orla adds.
Orla’s latest project came to life as she launched her Savvy Shopping Guide. This is “a 65-page digital guide designed to help people take control of their grocery spending without feeling as though they have to deprive themselves or remove every enjoyable item from their lives”, Orla explains.
Orla was always mindful of what she spent “but as prices increased over the years, particularly during the 2008 recession, [she] became much more conscious of how and where our money was going”. Orla’s Savvy Shopping Guide showcases a realistic system where ordinary households can adapt to suit their own budget and circumstances. Orla tells us, “It isn’t about perfection at all and it certainly isn’t about telling people never to buy anything nice”.
This is a lot more than making a shopping list. “It helps readers examine how they shop, what they already own, how supermarkets influence their decisions and where their money may be slipping away without them realising it. It includes a fridge first approach, household food inventories, weekly planning, meal planning, spending pauses, backup meals, reset weeks and practical AI prompts”, Orla says. She sums it up perfectly by saying: “The cost of food is outside of our control, but we can take more control over how we plan, what we buy and how much of it we actually use”.
If you’re dreaming about a career in content creation, Orla’s advice to you is that “it is never too late and all you have to do is pick up the phone and just start talking. If you’re scared or worried about what people will think, just imagine you’re on FaceTime with your best friend and that’s it. Take the plunge”.
Not a day went by that Orla didn’t show up. “I just showed up every day and for two years I showed up and nothing happened, but eventually it resonated with people. There is no magic formula as far as I am concerned”, Orla says.
If you’re interested in learning more and following along on Orla’s journey check out her new website and her social media platforms.
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