I second Carmen's advice. Go to Walmart or Costco. I'm a beginner and my first machine was a Brother from Costco -- only $139. It has like 100 stitches but I really only use one or two. The only thing I suggest is getting an auto back stitch function. It's a pain to hold the back button and hit your pedal -- at least for me it was
I like hitting a button and the machine back stitching for me.
Once you get the hang of sewing and know you enjoy it, you can get yourself something fancier. And you'll know what features are important to you.