i have a part time job currently, its not the best pay of course but i've saved every nickle ive made basically. i dont have bills or spend much other than when i go out sometimes with a few friends. my bills are 30$ a month (phone and gym). when it comes time ill decide whether i should buy or lease i guess. idk what i'd buy though and i dont want it to be too old

Keep the altima, save your money. Somewhere down the road you're going to have a stable career and pay, and you're going to want to buy/finance a house or a car and the money. The money you didn't throw away by signing into a lease? Goes into down payment for said things.

This is pretty much why I'm able to afford things. I took the bus for as long as I possibly could, etc.
Save money now while your expenses are low and discretionary income is high.

yup i got my security deposit back and im extremely happy with my decision. the guy actually offered me a part time job at his family restaurant too lmao