"Sheesh, you would think some of these were people with out the most basic tax knowledge"

Silly you.  You don't need tax knowledge to prepare tax returns.  You just need to go to Craigslist and dump a couple of used toasters, 4 bald  tires, and a slightly used recliner (we had to get rid of it after grandpa died in it) to have enough cash to buy some tax software.