Doydie, every year I go to file taxes, I'm told I don't need to. SSD is my only income. Well, my only regular income; there's an occasional casino win! Even with those it's not enough to file. So I get a signed document stating I don't have to file.

No filing = no deductions. Even when I bought my house I didn't qualify for any deductions.

If I remember correctly, the number $2000 is the minimum amount of expense(?) to qualify for deductions. Obviously I'm not good at math or tax laws.