Entering mortgage interest and/or property tax will have no effect---refunds are sourced from having tax withheld from income you received during the year except for refunds that you get as a result of having refundable credits. And itemized deductions have no effect unless they exceed your standard deduction--which is $29,200 for a married couple (+ $1500 for each spouse 65 or older).
When you say you lived on "savings" were you taking money out of a retirement account? Do you have a 1099R? 1099B for investment income? What kind of "savings" ?
Who has to file?
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Do-I-Need-to-File-a-Tax-Return%3F
While you have no filing requirement if you are eligible for the education American Opportunity Credit you can receive a refund of the refundable amount of that credit.
Thank you for your reply. No, we took money from our personal account it was planned in the event that we ended up in the situation. Our retirement is exactly that retirement. Thank you both for the prompt response and clarity as to the deductions. That was exactly what I was looking for in answer.