don't overlook the strut rod bushing while you checking stuff too, its probably not the cause of the problem but if its wearing it'll put some wear and tear on the ball joints causing them to fail prematurely.
my .02
btw, when you change out which ever suspension parts you do change, make sure where ever you park the vehicle prior to parking you drive it straight forward with the steering wheel straight. That way when you have everything bolted back up you won't have a sideways steering wheel.
you can do an alignment yourself without using a machine. search google for diy alignment. believe it or not you can have better alignment doing it yourself than bringing it somewhere. trust me i learned this the hard way.