I had minimal self-employed expenses. How do I continue in Turbo Tax without buying the self-employed turbo tax?

[ThomasM]

In the online versions of TurboTax, Self-Employed is the only one which will allow you to input expenses for your 1099-MISC income.  If you say you have expenses, then you'll be offered the upgrade to Self-Employed.  That's your only option if you want to deduct any expenses.

It's different in the desktop versions, where Deluxe, Premier, and Home & Business will all handle the Schedule C, including both income & expenses.