Ken and Dave at HomeMusicRecording.com published a series a few days ago suggesting possible recording gear to buy based on your available budget – from $100 to $9000.
One useful surprise to me was that nowhere did Dave specify a mixing desk as essential. Basically, mixing by mouse is very practical, given recording software’s capability to model mixing desks, and provide automation.
If you’re interested in this, I suggest popping over to have a look at the series.