If you are having trouble making money, gather up all of your fodder. Fodder sells for 10 gold a piece and one sell of 99 pieces will get you 990 gold.
Submitted by Monko5

When you get the Ruby's spice (by befriending Ruby---> she loves fish and milk, and likes flowers and wild plants). Then, go to you kitchen and put three Ruby spices in there (This will work for any special dish, soup or salad,etc. Then it says if this is okay, and say yes. Then out will pop a failed attempt (or a something odd, they are actually different,and you can make the other one, which ever it is, by putting in two Ruby spices instead of three, but it takes longer since you have to press start and all that jazz). If you keep doimg this until you have 99 failed attempts or something odds (or 99 of both), then wait ill van comes and sell them to him for 5 bucks a plate. Then you will have about 495 G. If you sell 99 of both bad plates, then you will have around 1000 dollars.( I know that isn't much but they don't take to long to make and you can store 99 in the giant fridge in the storage building, too).