A couple paid off $132k of debt in 18 months - by selling their household items on Facebook Marketplace and quitting dining out.

Justin Brown-Woods, 33, received a $600k payment after the death of his grandma but he and his wife, Hailey Brown-Woods, 32, "blew through the money"."

They found themselves in $222k of debt from student loans, credit cards, and "lifestyle inflation" - including new cars, a house, and household items. "

Justin said they were always wanting their next best thing, whether that be the newest iPhone or a brand new car.

After realising they couldn't afford Costco muffins, they started selling their household items on Facebook Marketplace - making $10k from rehoming sports equipment, kitchen appliances, and baby items.

Justin worked a second job at a bar and the couple stopped dining out.

In 18 months they had paid of $132k and now have $90k of student debt left to pay and have become financial counselors to help other people out of debt.

Justin, a financial counselor, from San Francisco, California, said: "We are still working through our debt, but we managed to pay off $132k in 18 months."

"Now we are well on the path of working off the rest of our debt; we have around $90k of student loan debt left to pay."

"Since paying off the majority of our debt, the tension from debt is no longer there."

"We really understand the effects that debt stress and tension have on our bodies."

"The stress and tensions we were feeling as a young, married couple were intense, and now we don't have that anymore."

In 2015, Justin received a $600k payment after his grandfather filed an unlawful death suit after his grandma died of lung cancer caused by asbestos.

Justin said that he "blew" through the money, buying cars, private university tuition, and vacations."

He said: "In three and a half years, we found ourselves in $222k of debt."

"We got student loans for a private university, we had a nice car, and $27k of credit card debt."

"It was all lifestyle inflation. We bought new stuff for the house, new computers, and vacations across the US."

"Everything you could think of, we had."

The tipping point came in October 2019 when the couple were working as teachers.

Hailey arrived home before Justin and bought some $7 pumpkin muffins from Costco - which the couple could not afford.

That was when they realized they needed to act on their debt.

Justin said: "We didn't have $7 in our bank account for Hailey to spend outside of our grocery shop."

"In October, we started planning out our budgets, tracking our expenses, and decided to do something about the debt."

"We trimmed our expenses and started paying off the debt."

The couple's debt journey coincided with the pandemic, so they stopped eating out and ordering takeout, saving them $700 a month.

Justin also took on a second job at a bar, taking home $2500 a month, and the couple made $10k selling household items they no longer needed on Facebook Marketplace.

Justin said: "I tell everyone, if you have things in your home that don't matter to you, you should sell them."

"I sold close to $10k selling household items on Facebook Marketplace that we didn't need."

"We sold our Toyota 4Runner for $33k in 2020 and purchased a used Suburban for $8k instead."

By June 2021, the couple had paid off $132k of debt, and currently have $90k of student debt left to pay.

Since then, the couple quit their jobs as teachers and became financial counselors - helping other people get out of debt.

Justin said that the pair still live a frugal lifestyle and will have a value-based budget.

They will spend money on things they value, such as self-care, and withhold money for things they don't value - like alcohol.

Justin said: "Our budget is really aligned, we don't spend much on things that we don't value."

"We have a value-based budget."

"We really value self-care. Hailey will get a lash lift every six weeks or get a massage. "

"One thing we don't spend money on is alcohol; we also don't dine out much anymore."

"We do not go out to grab drinks or have alcohol in the house if we are paying for it."

Justin said: "We are both accredited financial counselors, we really understand the effects of debt and the stress and tension it can cause on your body."

"People don't realize that a lot of the stress they are feeling will be financial-based."