Are yours gas or electric?

If you make $50 in profits, and spend that money on lets say a permit, gas, insurance, credit card payment, internet/WiFi, Fees, Loan Payments, paper, WHATEVER it may be... you can write off the expense, and not have to pay taxes on the $50 profit.

If they have to choose between paying you or buying gas for the car, food, cable, electricity, clothes, etc., etc. which do you think it will be?

Since it has gas heat and you are in the northeast I would highlight that as well in the title.make a decision on the pets. 

Basically, if you have your own Real Estate Investing business (an actual LLC) and do all of your business transactions through that, you can also deduct things like mileage, gas, phone, internet, rent (home office), travel, meals, etc. all of these things are deducted and give you less taxable income which means paying less in taxes in the long run.

if you buy the machine, will you also buy gas for it?

So the week I turned 18 I applied for a credit card and used it only for buying gas and always paid it off.

I am sympathetic from some respect to paying higher wages because the men you hire have the same rent, gas, insurance costs etc, and maybe even a family to support and their own aspirations to better their position in life.  

The owner even told me that all metal and wiring has been removed - no plumbing, wiring, assuming no HVAC, gas line, and hot water heater.

Especially to people you meet in the grocery, gas station, airports, etc.