Can you help me decide

caro-kann all the way.

Caro-Kann is a good beginner's opening for Black. So is Two Knights' Defense and Four Knights' Game.

I agree, French. I played it by preference for about thirty years after the Yugoslav Attack did in my beloved Dragon Variation of the Sicilian. Only in my advanced maturity have gone in for the double king-pawn game for the black side, where you have to be prepared to defend against King's Gambit, Ruy Lopez, and the Piano.

I don't like playing as black in say the ruy and these things drive me away with 1...e5, but if white is going to commit to a blocked queen like that I would be very happy to go into a great version of them, avoiding every challenging white opening in 1 e4 e5.

I also narrowed it down to the pric forgot to mention that or do you all think I should still play the french.

French.

*Sigh*.

No, actually it's one of those openings where if white doesn't have the right plan in mind his center falls to pieces with no compensation. White has to understand that he still can't attack until his space edge is better consolidated. A new newbie should learn the basics though if he hasn't already, but anyone who makes it to 1200 could play the french, if they were up to it and liked it's style, because many don't. They can get their sharp tactics an alternative way, via tactical problems and studying attacking players, works for me.

I think most, but as a beginner I didn't even know how to mate with anything other than two rooks or more against a bare king.  Attacking is generally a more popular style (or preference?), but also beginners at first don't understand any concepts besisdes an immediate mate of the king and when they see Morphy they start making a bunch of unsound sacs. But it's perfectly possible to be low rated and not have the intentions to be an attacker. They appreciate the subtler side, even though they don't know how to play that way properly yet but can learn with time.

So although people say "play open games" and stuff, it's not like it's mandatory to play mostly open games, because I didn't. Maybe it's the ideal way, but if that way annoys you, then you can pick other ways.