A Wards Lab report is a great place to start. Personally, I think you have a few options to consider:
1. A cheap TDS meter will help you know when your water has changed significantly. If it jumps from 25 PPM to something like 80 PPM, then you know something significant has happened, then you could use option 2.
2. There are testing kits available, and they will get you into the ballpark. I have used several and they work ok. They are, however, expensive. Still the ability to know the day of the brew what changed is useful.
3. Go RO. For the cost of a good testing kit, you can get a small RO system and prep your water ahead of time, or just buy it (again use the cheap TDS meter to get a judgement of the system's quality). Of course, RO wastes water, which you can repurpose for cleaning or watering plants, etc.
4. I highly recommend a good pH meter and there are several good choices now on the market at reasonable prices. I am sure someone can pipe in - I have had great luck with meters from Hach, Milwaukee, and Extech. Just make sure to measure at room temperature, decant your calibration buffers to keep them clean, and do the necessary maintenance (storage solution, etc, by manufacturer). All that said, Bru'n gets me very close nearly everytime and I only measure every 3rd or 4th batch these days.
5. The new release of the Bru'n Water Subscriber spreadsheet is the bomb!
Best of Luck!