A) If you want a little startup cash at the beginning of the game, buy Hobart's Hideaway, sell everything, then close it. Seems heartless, but it works.
B) When fixing up Hobart's Hideaway, delete all the plants: brambles are free, but the bushes are 40 dollars each. Also, there's an old tub worth 1,000 dollars, and you can sell the All-In-One bathrooms for 4,500 dollars each.