Yes, I noticed that too for quests like the sno cone quest where you have to purchase one of each sno cone and you do not get to keep them. You do not have to do the quest if you do not want to. These quests are just to get you to try new stuff and give you a break from the usual monotonous tasks you do.
^ I just did that quest, Macs. The payout should be at least what you payed for the Snowcones. I can see the experience and the point showing you to the Wintery Place as a reward, but at least repay the money spent on the cones.
The rewards of favor and XP are more valuable than cash. Most cash is ultimately spent for the purpose of gaining favor/XP, and quests are just another way to complete those transactions.
Cash spent on tools will pay off in, well, spades.
Yep, that's about it: there are some quests which cost more in cash than you get as a reward on purpose, but those are ones with higher XP than normal, and ones where you actually learn something about the game.