I restarted..

[Xurts]

What is your SeeD rank?

I'd say that the train ride is the best time to work up some cash. Either then or your trip to Galbadia Garden. There are no random battles on the train, so you can run around as much as you like until you get your salaries.

If your HP starts to get low during the fight with Gerogero, have someone use a Potion or some Cure magic (not Curaga!). If Selphie gets her Limit, be sure to use Full-cure. I remember that drawing 600 spells makes the battle quite long, and someone is bound to run low on HP, even if they have a lot.