Grandparents were caught with crack cocaine when police officers checked their home one morning, a court heard.
The drug was valued at up to £2,120 and mobile phones held texts which indicated it had been supplied to other people.
An 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, was imposed on Diana Wood, 45, now of Anston Avenue, Worksop. She must do 120 hours unpaid community work.
A 21-month jail term, suspended for two years, was the penalty for Nigel Driffill, 52, of Raines Avenue, Worksop. He must undergo treatment to curb an alcohol problem.
Judge Stuart Rafferty QC told them: "We all in life make stupid decisions and I do not exclude myself for a moment.
"But the decision you made was not simply stupid - it could have resulted in both of you going to prison for a very long time.
"However desperate you are for money, however straitened your circumstances are, there can be no justifiable reason for peddling drugs. In the case of Class A drugs, that goes in spades."
The judge said they also made the error of borrowing from people who charged "extortionate rates of interest" and who would demand repayment.
The couple are no longer together, the court heard. They admitted having drugs to supply others, described by the judge as "a number of known users in the vicinity." The drugs were found on February 19, 2018 and the pair have been out of trouble since then.
A small amount of amphetamine - valued at less than £10 - was also discovered in the police search.
Dawn Pritchard, for Driffill, said he accepted the idea of receiving treatment for his alcohol intake and also the need to have rehabilitation sessions with probation officers.
Digby Johnson, for Wood, said that she had "no issue" with the number of hours of community work suggested by probation officers.
