Learn Hardcore Japanese: kanozyo ha zutto tyokin wo tudukete, syokuhi mo kuhuusite setuyakusite iru. - She has been saving all along and is frugal with food expenses using clever ideas.

ずっと means for a long time/continuously/throughout. In this sentence it emphasizes duration: she has been continuing to save for a long stretch. It is not the same as いつも (habitually, in general). With actions like 〜続ける or 〜ている, ずっと often corresponds to English has been doing.

Why is は used after 彼女? Could I use が instead?

は marks the topic: we are talking about her. が would mark her as the focused subject. In a neutral statement, 彼女は is natural. 彼女が would emphasize it is she (not someone else) who is doing this.

Why 貯金を続けて and not 貯金し続けて? Are both correct?

Both are correct:

貯金を続けて treats 貯金 as a noun and 続ける takes it as its object.
貯金し続けて uses the verb 貯金する
- 続ける. Nuance difference is small; 〜し続ける can feel a touch more like repeated ongoing action, but either is fine here.

What does the て-form in 続けて do?

It’s the connective て-form, linking actions: she keeps saving, and …. The subject remains the same across 〜て links by default. It usually indicates addition or sequence.

Does ずっと apply to both actions, or only to saving?

By default ずっと modifies the nearest verb phrase, here 貯金を続けて. So it most naturally emphasizes the long duration of the saving. It does not automatically extend to the food-expense part. To make the whole predicate clearly long-lasting, you could say 長い間、貯金を続けて、食費も工夫して節約している.

Where is the object marker for 食費? Why is it 食費も and not 食費を?

節約する can take を (e.g., 食費を節約する), but when you add も for also, も typically replaces を: 食費も節約する. 食費をも節約する is possible but more formal/emphatic (even food expenses).

What exactly does 工夫して mean here?

工夫する means to devise smart ways, be resourceful, make creative adjustments. 工夫して節約している means she economizes by being resourceful (menu planning, bulk cooking, using coupons, etc.). It is not inventing something in the patent sense.

Why are there two して in 工夫して節約している? Can I say 工夫し節約している or 工夫して節約する?

工夫して節約している uses て to link verbs; it’s the most natural conversational style.
工夫し、節約している (stem link, often with a comma) reads a bit more formal/written.
工夫して節約する lacks 〜ている, so it sounds more like a general statement than an ongoing/habitual practice.

What does 〜ている express in 節約している?

Here 〜ている conveys an ongoing or habitual action/state: is economizing, has been economizing. With lifestyle verbs, 〜ている commonly means a continuing practice, not just right now.

Is 工夫して indicating method, like by being resourceful?

Yes. Vて + main verb can show manner/means. 工夫して節約している = she economizes by devising ways. Other examples: 自炊して節約する (save money by cooking for oneself).

Could I rewrite this with ために to show purpose?

Yes:

貯金を続けるために、食費も工夫している。 In order to keep saving, she also devises ways with food costs.
節約するために、食費を工夫している。 She devises ways with food costs in order to economize. These emphasize purpose rather than method.

Can I omit 彼女? Would the sentence still be natural?

Yes. If context makes the subject clear, drop it: ずっと貯金を続けて、食費も工夫して節約している。

What’s the nuance difference between 節約 and 倹約?

Both mean thrift.

節約 is the common word for cutting expenses/resources (money, water, electricity). Neutral and widely used.
倹約 is more formal/bookish and often describes a personal trait of frugality. Here 節約 is the natural choice.

What’s the difference between 貯金, 貯蓄, and 貯める?

貯金: saving money, especially bank deposits; everyday word for savings.
貯蓄: accumulated savings/assets; more formal/broader.
貯める: the verb to accumulate/save (money, points, etc.): お金を貯める.

Are the spaces and the comma necessary in Japanese?

Standard Japanese writing does not use spaces; they’re added here for learners. The comma is optional and just gives a pause. Without it—彼女はずっと貯金を続けて食費も工夫して節約している—is still fine.

Could I use 食費は instead of 食費も? How would that change the meaning?

食費は makes food expenses the (contrastive) topic: as for food expenses, she economizes (possibly implying contrast with other categories). 食費も means food expenses too, adding it to other things she is doing.

How do you read this sentence aloud?

Kana reading: かのじょはずっとちょきんをつづけて、しょくひもくふうしてせつやくしている. In ordinary writing, the spaces would be removed.