Not bad paradox
I remember my old skool days using a mouse to paint. I had a tablet when I was 14, granted I wasn't appreciative of what my Dad got my so I never used it... I was such a dumb ass. I got reaquainted with tablets in college and I have been hooked ever since. I was able to buy an Intuos 3 and Cintiq 21UX
Not that you said anything offensive, but some people have this weird "mouse elitist" thing I don't quite get. You're promoting carpal tunnel and most professionals will be like "Uhhh if you're so into digital art, why don't you buy a stylus". They usually reply with something as equally ludacris(I'm not saying this about you, just a general statement). MS paint is a good start, in time, look into Photoshop Elements if ya get more into it, you can actually paint your pencil drawings in there
And yes, Vex is right, those are worth saving up for