Welcome to the herd NashNathan! I agree with the other posters about looking for something used. I do like the early to mid 90's rigid mountain bikes as a do it all type of bike. They have a stable geometry, many have eyelets for racks and fenders, and the 26" wheel size has a wide variety of tire choices.
Just don't spend a lot of money because you don't know if you will stick with it.