[...] removing the back seat is pointless as well if you arent racing it
@DesertPenguin09 I agree. Unless your car is already 2500lbs or under you will not notice ~40lbs difference from the middle of the car even in 'spirited driving', but you will notice that now you can't take passengers.
Edit: Removing weight is great for race cars and all, but the kinds of mods you will notice the biggest effect from in a street car are things like good tires inflated to the right pressure**, a good alignment, brakes that are in good shape and bled properly (maybe with some slightly better pads and if the pedal is still 'mushy', braided steel lines), and if you want the car to sound better, a "cold air intake" (which likely will not give you any extra power or let the car breathe colder air than the stock airbox, but will let you hear that nice induction sound and make the engine seem more responsive). Poly bushings can make the car feel better as well but can be a pain to install yourself without good tools.
After that if it's still not handling to your standards, maybe better dampers like KYB's (or Konis/Bilsteins if you want really good ones) and a rear sway bar. If you're using street tires I wouldn't recommend going to different springs or a giant front sway bar, they will make the car feel faster and change direction more sharply but will not give you any extra grip, and the ride will be less comfortable for passengers or parental units... (although there may be some decent springs out there for street tires with a safe, mild dop. I found good ones for my AE86.)
Most of that stuff I recommended you can do yourself with hand tools (except the dampers, might want air tools, and you'd need a spring compressor, coil springs are dangerous), and if you did all of those things your car would look basically stock but would be a neutral handling, grippy driver's car. Well, basically. "Car guys" might give you crap for not slamming it, or putting a massive turbo on it, but when it comes to your only car (especially your parent's car) - "if it 'aint broke, don't fix it".
**try a slightly lower pressure in the rear in a front-heavy FWD, about 2-5lbs less. Use the wear indicators on your sidewall, the tire wear should stop at the point of the small triangles that are on most tires. That means you are using your full contact patch. Many times street cars driven aggressively will use more of the front sidewall than they should because of their lack of camber, and not enough of it in the rear. To get the balance feeling right you may have to use more pressure in the front than the what is recommended (often this is in your car's door jamb) but do not exceed the rating on the tire sidewall. If you increase it too much, the center of the tire can expand out like a balloon when it warms up and can cause unexpected understeer because of the reduced surface area.