Purchase dresser stateside or wait?

geeta - I suppose that is more of a mental thing. The $ is weaker, so when you convert it really seems like you lose a lot of money (35% roughly) - in reality it is the expense of the item that hurts, and a lot of things in the UK are more expensive. Some things are less expensive of course, but when you convert $1000 and get 625GBP and you have to pay more than you would stateside... I suppose that is why people say stop converting everything into $ in your head, lol

But when you convert $1000 to £625, that does not mean you are only getting 625 US dollars' worth of currency.  One pound buys more than one dollar, and £625 might not buy as much as $1000, but it will definitely buy more than $625. 

You're not losing 35% in purchasing power.  The fact that the UK is generally more expensive than the US is one thing, but you're still not losing anywhere near 35% when you convert dollars to pounds. 

And yes, you should stop converting things back into dollars in your head. 

The Ikea prices are not always cheaper in the US - on the Hemnes 3 drawer chest it is $149 US and 90 GBP, which would be about $144 US dollars converted. But -- the beds we looked at for one of our boys was the Odda bedframe with storage which was $149 US and 160 GBP and I can't find a difference.

Well, the GBP price includes VAT and the US price does not include sales tax. So a $149 dresser would cost about $160 in a state with 8% sales tax. Also, the UK might charge you import duty on personal belongings you haven't owned for a minimum about of time before your move so you could be looking at double taxation. Just something to consider.