So you can do digital art without a tablet.
Nice tools help but you shouldn't let them be the limiting factor of what you can do.
But having the right interface or medium for what you're trying to do is a lot more helpful than being technologically restrained. Sure you can cook with your feet but wouldn't it be so much simpler to use your hands?
I think pen and paper are a viable option. When you can afford a tablet you already know how to draw with the stylus.
Edited:
I wonder if it's easier to draw skinny people after drawing fat people?
If so, my figure study class may just have a silver lining after all.
After drawing many not so fit models it's harder for me to draw beautiful shapes without constant effort. It's annoying.
Edited:
I did these with a mouse.
To me, if you want to draw on paper, you use a pen. If you want to draw on a computer, you use a mouse.

Did you know that the early computers used pens much like today's tablets when the mouse hadn't been invented yet?