I'd shop around if I were you. Guitar Center lists both new and used gear on line. Sweetwater and American Music Supply have good selections and prices and user reviews are posted. Amazon and Zounds do the same.
Good luck, and remember buying quality gear pays off in reliability, and ease of use. Taking shortcuts and cobbling up patchwork compromises usually results in frustration.

Well put. I wanted to say this before.

You can buy cheaper stuff, and in the end you can end up spending much more having to upgrade down the line. There are some decent mixers for $99, but doubling your budget can get you a better and more feature-rich product that you won’t outgrow too soon.

Upgrading from a Zed 10FX to a Soundcraft EFX8 made it so I didn’t need to lug an extra board to duo and trio gigs. I take up three preamp channels myself.

I’m beginning to realize that my needs aren’t always the needs of others, however ... needs often change and there are so many affordable options out there nowadays and so many people are selling these analog boards in favor of digital options, that you can really do well buying used.

I got an EFX8 for $250 shipped with zero signs of wear and no issues. My Zed 10FX is on loan to a buddy right now that just started doing a solo gig, and my Zed60 14FX sits in a road case ready to be rented out or sold

I sold my QSC TouchMix 16 because I was barely using it. My MixWiz gets used when I need more channels or if I’m doing sound. I’m sure I’ll miss the TouchMix at some point, but the guy that bought it would let me borrow it if I need it.

The Yamaha MG06x looks like it would be a good fit. What do you think?

No, it won't do what you want it to do! What about reverb/effects? That mixer doesn't have any and it only has two XLR inputs. Really a two channel mixer even though they call it six. You need to know how many mics and instruments you'll be inputing at once and have that number of inputs on your mixer and make sure it has effects.

Sweetwater has a Soundcraft Notebook 12 channel, really four XLRs, with digital effects for $139. The more inputs the better if you are running an Open Mike.

If you’re running an open mic, I would get a minimum of 8 XLR channels. Preferably 12.

If you’re making money gigging and getting paid to run an open mic, it’s a justifiable expense. You should be able to find something used in the sub $300 range.

I hate it when companies do this. Calling it a 12 channel board when it’s really four usable channels and a few useless stereo pairs.

sorry - I meant the MGFO6x which does have effects.
Only downside I see is that you have to choose one effect and it gets applies to everything. You couldn't just have delay on voice and reverb on guitar.

It depends upon what instruments you need to amplify. If you are adding a keyboard and Roland HandSonic (electronic percussion), those stereo channels are really useful!

I get it. If someone has those needs, I agree.

I run mono, so I'd rather a single XLR channel for keys anyway. The keys were far enough away lat night that I needed a DI to get him to the board.

still looking for a decent mixer with effects for under $150.

You’re looking in the wrong places. There are plenty of Yamaha MG Series mixers available for about $150. I recently sold a mint MG10XU for that price.