casting with cement?

hay guys!
so i mostly use plaster to mold my sculpts but in recent times iv been finding my self needing more plaster to bigger projects.
I was looking around hardware stores and im seeing cornice cement for $33 for 20kg
compared to Cheep plaster, witch is $4 for 1kg price wise it seems worth it BUT will it have the same effect?

STRANGE AND DUMB QUESTION I KNOW! i should but BALLS up and get a 50KG bag of UltraCal for $70-ish

BUT Lack of money is a big factor in why i get plaster in the first place

SO if you guys know Any good cements that work just as well as plaster and CHEEP that would be much appreciated!

THANK YOU

I used to buy 50lb bags of plaster of paris from my local drywall supplyer for under $20. Buying it from a hobby store or hardware store was pricey, try to get it from a contractor supplier.

There is also something called pearl-lite that was easy to work with. It was mostly used as a backing or scratch coat for plaster walls (interior).