I'm on Chapter 6 and I pretty much have no money. Usually that problem goes away later on in most games, but the shops in FFXIII almost don't seem worth it.
And I agree that battles can take too long, but I still don't really mind it. I find the paradigm system to be pretty fun, and switching between roles in battle is something I haven't seen in a game before.
--
First is mnk'boy'907, who looks fab with her gray skin and grandma poncho/shawl thing~
http://img.imgcake.com/nio/boypngbu.png - Nio