We are both amateur retails, so I understand and share your pain. To win, we have to find a path, less traveled.
I have been paper day trading stocks for over a year (couldn't find a good way to back test scalping tick by tick PA). Finally came to the same conclusion @poopy stated in his posts. The overhead ate up most of the profits. It is hard to win when you started out already behind the 8 ball.
I am overall profitable on paper but I think it is an illusion.
Nah man go live, put enough in your account to do it right and if you drop a predetermined amount go back to paper...what's $5000 just to give it a go?
"As old Pat Hearne would say, you never know till you bet" - ROASO